Bandmates
by Rasengan22
Summary: Two years after their group debut, J-pop band members Naruto and Sasuke experience a change in their once frosty relationship. But what, Naruto wonders, is it changing into exactly? BTS-inspired. SNS. [Complete]
1. V Live

a/n: I was never into kpop and didn't get it, but I thought - can't judge unless I delve into it to see wtf. Then a weird thing happened, and I... fell in love with BTS? So. I'm going to write a few "vignettes" inspired by them. Bet you'll guess my bias(es).

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**Part I: V Live**

"This is Uzumaki Naruto's V Live," said the 23-year-old singer as he adjusted the video recorder and checked out his appearance on the screen. Out of habit, he pushed a hand back through his hair, lifting it off of his forehead. He smiled broadly at the fans he knew were watching. "We just came back from, uh… Manila. About," he looked at his watch. "Twenty-four hours ago. The other members are asleep, I think. But, I've asked our youngest member to stop by—

There was a knock at his door. Naruto got up, carrying the recorder with him so that their fans could follow what he was doing. He opened the door for Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest in the group at 21. He was one of their best dancers and a rapper. Naruto, on the other hand, was a vocalist and not a bad dancer by any means either, though their styles were different. Naruto had trained in modern dance while Sasuke was used to hip-hop and b-boy styles.

"Sasuke, say hi to the fans." He placed his hand on the younger man's lower back and guided him back to the desk where he'd prepared an extra chair.

"Hello," Sasuke said in polite language.

He sat beside Naruto in the chair. They were close enough that their thighs made contact. A couple of years ago (when they'd first made their group debut), Sasuke didn't want to have much to do with him, but following some serious persistence on his part, it seemed that the rapper tolerated his presence more now. Naruto remembered a time when Sasuke rated him the worst looking in their group of seven. It pissed him off, and he'd even given up on trying to get Sasuke to like him for a while. Then, one day… actually, when they were dancing in the practice room at the studio attached to their dorm—they worked on a routine, just the two of them, late into the night, and from that point on… things were… different? Sometimes?

"So, Sasuke," Naruto was watching him on the screen. "What did you think of Manila?"

"I think I didn't get any sleep for three days."

"Heh, yeah, that's true. We had a really good concert, but there was at least a day we got to spend on the beach. Although, Sasuke's not a huge fan of the beach, are you?"

"I like it okay," Sasuke replied. "Just not as much as you do apparently."

"True, true. I grew up near a beach—"

"We're from the same town."

"Hey, as your elder, don't interrupt me," Naruto teased, throwing his arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "You don't do that to Gaara."

"That's because Gaara will kill me in my sleep if I address him informally. You always act younger than me, so it's hard to see you that way."

"Ah, ah," Naruto slapped him upside the head. "See how he talks to me? No respect. Some people consider me the _leader _of this group."

"Do they?" Sasuke, looking over at him, smirked. "Someone besides you?"

"I always take care of you." Since he hadn't been rebuffed, Naruto took the opportunity to ruffle the other man's hair affectionately. "I take you out to eat, I cover you up when you fall asleep on the couch in the common area, make you food when you're hungry."

"He makes me instant ramen," Sasuke said into the camera. "That's all he knows how to make."

"That's 'cause we're always so busy and it only takes three minutes!"

"See, you complain like a child." Sasuke shifted in the chair, a sign Naruto should remove his hand from the man's head before it got ripped off.

"No, no. This is what fans like about me. They call it charming, and for some reason you can't appreciate, though I'm the most _charming _guy in the group."

"You're a decent dancer anyway," Sasuke murmured out of the corner of his mouth, leaning slightly to his right, putting his shoulder in contact with Naruto. He looked pale.

Naruto put a hand to his forehead. "You feelin' okay?"

Sasuke swatted it away. "I'm fine."

"Hmm." Naruto observed him with a degree of worry. "Like Sasuke said, we didn't have much time for sleep while in the Philippines, I guess. Took its toll on us, but after a day or two, we'll catch up on our sleep and be in Hong Kong on the 23rd. Right?"

"Yes." Sasuke stifled a yawn and then pushed a hand through his hair.

It pushed his hair back in a way that made Naruto smile at him fondly.

"You really have nice eyes," Naruto complimented. "You probably just gave some of our fans a heart attack. You always keep them hidden behind your hair, don't you?"

He went to push it back again after Sasuke had dropped his arm onto the chair. This time, he didn't push Naruto's hand away. He did, though, feel warm to the touch. It worried Naruto, so he didn't want to keep the Live going for too much longer. Sasuke needed rest, too. Even though he was, like Naruto, typically an insomniac.

"My eyes aren't as nice as yours," Sasuke said quietly.

It was so sincere, Naruto was caught off guard. He was used to Sasuke insulting him, not complimenting him.

"Oh, are you sure you're not ill? You're bein' very nice all of a sudden."

"I'm nice to you," Sasuke replied, slouching into the chair. "When you're not being an idiot."

Naruto made an exasperated face at the camera. "Did you just mock my dialect?"

"Hn… maybe."

"How do you not have one if we grew up in the same city in the south of Japan?"

"I'm not a hick?"

"Ha!" Naruto knocked into him with his elbow, so Sasuke elbowed him in return—and when Naruto moved his arm off the chair, Sasuke took over his spot and was almost leaning into him. He wasn't used to Sasuke being so _touchy_. Usually that was Naruto's thing.

He brushed it off, figuring it was the lack of sleep and brutal schedule over the last few days.

"Sasuke and I did go out when we were in Manila," Naruto reported to their fans. "Didn't we? Sasuke and I often go out when we're in another city. We both like to try different food. Sasuke likes spicy food a lot, and so do I. Although, I like sake and soju more than he does."

"I like it," Sasuke said. "Just not as much as you. You can outdrink anybody."

Naruto laughed nervously. "Don't give fans the wrong idea!"

"He does." Sasuke smirked into the recorder. "Naruto likes to have a good time."

Naruto went to cover his mouth; Sasuke covered his hand with his, but didn't move it. Again, Naruto wasn't used to this, so he ended up staring at Sasuke for at least 20 seconds until he'd realized they were still on camera. He quickly removed his hand.

"I do like to have a good time," he responded, pouting a little. "I thought we had a good time, especially this trip."

"We did." Sasuke gave a short nod. "It's why I'm being nice to you."

"Ah, so there is a reason you're bein' nicer to me than normal! It's 'cause I bought you food!"

Sasuke gave him a look. An odd one that Naruto didn't quite understand so he tilted his head in question—another gesture of habit. For a moment, they were caught in a second staredown until Sasuke, leaning closer and reaching out a hand (Naruto almost panicked thinking he was going to stroke his cheek), but the hand shifted and Sasuke merely tugged at his earring.

"Why are you so nervous… Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was low and his eyes bright with dark humor.

"You're teasing me." Naruto, though he grabbed onto Sasuke's hand to do it, pushed him away but didn't let go. Why was his heart racing, and why did he keep forgetting they were live?

He coughed, trying to regain his composure.

"You should, uh… respect your elders more."

"So you've mentioned." Sasuke had the audacity to smirk at him.

"Punk." Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"_Senpai_."

Naruto burst into a goofy grin and, flustered, looked away and then back, only to rub his hand across his face. Was he sweating? What was this guy up to anyway?

"Thank you for always taking care of me," Sasuke abruptly added, again speaking in polite, formal language to him. "These past two years."

Naruto blinked at him, unexpectedly emotional at the praise and gratitude. Unconsciously, he leaned to the side, pressing their shoulders together; Sasuke didn't flinch. Another long look between them, but then Sasuke coughed, and—panicked—Naruto glanced at the screen.

There was fanservice, and then there was… whatever the hell was happening right now.

"You should get some rest," Naruto muttered, putting some distance between their bodies by moving his chair. There was a mild shift in expression from Sasuke he couldn't quite pin down.

Naruto glanced into the camera. "I think since we don't want Sasuke to get sick, we should probably cut the live short for now. Thanks for coming to my Live."

He said it first to Sasuke, and then to the fans that were watching them.

"Thank you, everyone."

"Thank you," Sasuke said, bowing his head to the fans. "Goodnight."

"Bye bye." Naruto shut off the camera with a wave and set it on a shelf.

He sat back in his chair, releasing a long, heavy breath. He scratched the back of his neck before slowly turning to the younger band member.

"What was _that_?" He asked.

"What was what?" Sasuke seemed to be teasing him again, feigning innocence.

Naruto turned his chair so that he faced him. Once more, he pressed the back of his hand to Sasuke's forehead. There could be no other reason for this behavior other than Sasuke being ill, which was of great concern to him. They were away from their families, and being older than Sasuke by two years, he felt a responsibility to take care of him and keep him in good health.

"Naruto," Sasuke grabbed for his wrist, grip unexpectedly tight. "I'm fine. I'm not sick."

"Then why?" He wondered, gaze drifting to Sasuke's hand, then up to the man's eyes.

"I don't know what you mean."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, but his brows were arched out of curiosity. "...Don't you?"

Sasuke glanced away. "You shouldn't use that low voice on me."

"What low voice?" He'd done it again, but not on purpose.

Sasuke looked back at him, almost glaring. "I'm going to bed."

"Are you mad?" Naruto was totally lost about what was going on right now.

"I'm fine." Sasuke, letting go of Naruto's hand, stood up and stretched. For an instant, his shirt rode up just enough to reveal a glimpse of his stomach.

Naruto hadn't meant to stare, but he did. Then, he blushed because of it because he knew Sasuke had seen it. When Naruto found the courage to look at him again, he was well aware of his cheeks being red and flushed.

Sasuke was… smirking. "Goodnight, senpai."

As he stood next to Naruto's chair, he—for maybe a second—set his hand on top of Naruto's shoulder and, leaving Naruto utterly confused, walked out of the room. It was a delayed reaction, but Naruto swiveled the chair around just as the door closed behind him.

"What the hell?" He whispered aloud before sharply turning around and gripping the edge of the desk until it hurt his fingers. "What the _hell _was that?"

And why was his heart still—he covered it with his hand—beating so fast?

That punk.

Naruto set his elbows on the desk, head down as he held it in his hands. He wet his lips before lifting his head, staring ahead of him at the wall.

Well, that was… that had definitely been…

Something.

It shouldn't surprise him, though, as Sasuke's behavior was the most unpredictable of their group. Often standoffish with other members, especially him… when had Sasuke suddenly decided to… warm up to him… and why did it make Naruto feel so damn—

_Giddy_?


	2. Late-Night Visitor

**Part 2: Late-Night Visitor**

Just about to pull off his hooded sweatshirt, Naruto stopped when he heard a soft knock at his bedroom door. He walked over, music playing from the laptop sitting on his bed, and opened the door, not at all surprised at who was visiting him so late at night.

"You again?" He asked, seeing Sasuke standing there, dressed in black sweats and a longer white t-shirt with some English words on it. "What if I'd been asleep?

Sasuke gave a glance at Naruto's sweatshirt. "I knew you were up since you posted."

"I'm always up," he said in a cheeky tone. "Isn't that why you keep comin' to my room?"

The younger man didn't answer, nor did he apparently need an invitation to come inside. He brushed past Naruto, who gave a quick check in both directions down the hall to see if anyone was watching. When he was satisfied all of the other members were likely asleep, he closed the door. He'd become accustomed to these late-night visits from Sasuke. Fellow insomniacs, they would sit around and talk about dancing, listen to music, or just enjoy each other's company.

"What are you listening to?" Sasuke asked.

"IU," he answered. "Knees."

Sasuke's tone was flat. "Still into Korean women, ah?"

"You like it, don't you?" Naruto walked over to him. Sasuke had taken a seat on the edge of the bed. Naruto's Spotify playlist was open, and the rapper proceeded to scroll through it.

"I like it," Sasuke answered. "I usually like what you like most of the time."

Naruto nudged him in the leg with his socked foot. "Somethin' bothering you?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He was pretending not to hear him.

Playfully, Naruto pushed at his shoulder. "_Yaa_. I'm talkin' to you, _brat_."

Without even looking at him, Sasuke grabbed for his wrist and forced Naruto to sit next to him on the bed. Sasuke kept hold of him, making sure he wouldn't resist. The boldness of the action made Naruto go quiet. He felt that strange rush of blood to his head he often got whenever Sasuke became rough or forceful recently. It wasn't like how he used to be—back in the old days—when normally Naruto would be the one to initiate physical contact. Sasuke used to hate it. At first, he thought it was amusing and cute since Sasuke was his junior and the baby of the group. But, the more it happened, the more Naruto couldn't quite place this _feeling_.

"Why are you wearing my sweatshirt anyway?" Sasuke asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Heh." He started pulling nervously at one of the strings. "Is it yours?"

"You know it's mine." Sasuke tugged once at the other string, fully turning to face him.

"I think you left it here last night."

"And you… _slept _in it?" Sasuke smirked. "Did you miss me that much?"

Naruto, again dumbfounded, could only stare at him. "Have you _always _been this bold? You've been like this a lot recently… M'not used to it."

"And," Sasuke pulled harder at the string. "Is that why you like me even more? _Recently_?"

Naruto dropped the other string, hand forming a fist as it came to a rest on the bed and very aware of the close proximity of their bodies, especially after Sasuke had leaned forward.

"You look nervous," Sasuke murmured and a denial was quick to catch in Naruto's throat.

He coughed and glanced down at the bed covers, embarrassed. Scratching the back of his head, he slowly raised his eyes to meet Sasuke's.

"Maybe you should put somethin' else on."

Sasuke was staring at him in earnest. "Should I?"

Naruto nodded, and Sasuke let go of the hoodie's string, turning his back to him finally. It gave Naruto some time to regain his composure. Sasuke, meanwhile, changed the song to Eels' "I Need Some Sleep." It was one of his favorites, and Sasuke knew it. He looked at Naruto as if daring him to say something; he stared for so long that Naruto grew even more flustered.

He looked straight at Sasuke, unable to figure him out. "You're weird."

But right away he could tell it was the wrong thing to say (and the wrong _way _to say it) because Sasuke's eyebrows were instantly up and his expression started to close off. It was such an abrupt, cold change in attitude that it caught Naruto off guard. Although Sasuke was the youngest member of GCF, he had one of the biggest tempers. And when there was tension between them, it made all of Naruto's insecurities flare up.

"What?" He asked, sounding annoyed but not having meant to.

Sasuke's eyes shifted, back and forth, across his face. He turned away from Naruto again, obviously content to ignore him. Sasuke was like that, though. One second he was hot, the next he was cold, and always emotionally unpredictable (sometimes even unstable). Then again, Naruto could be like that, too. But, they'd been together long enough Naruto _did _know how to soften Sasuke's mood once it went sour. He just… wasn't used to doing it for any other purpose than to encourage him before a performance or interview. After all, Sasuke had been like a younger brother to him while they'd grown up together in their dorm.

Biting his lip, Naruto went ahead and tugged at Sasuke's elbow, speaking to him in a much softer tone of voice this time as he settled his chin on the rapper's shoulder.

He squeezed Sasuke's middle in apology. "Anything in particular you wanna listen to?"

Sasuke responded in a similarly low tone of voice. "You've added songs since yesterday."

Just like that, the tension lifted, and Naruto smiled against Sasuke's crisp, clean shirt. He shifted on the bed to sit cross-legged, leaning his chest into Sasuke's back and hugging him from behind. Once more, he rested his chin on Sasuke's shoulder, humming quietly while watching Sasuke add some songs to his playlist. It was odd how content he felt. He'd always wanted to be close to Sasuke, especially since they were two of the youngest band members.

And… also because he'd always thought they had a lot in common. Sasuke was one of the first to be chosen as a GCF member and Naruto, the last. Sasuke was good at everything he tried—rapping, singing, dancing, drawing—and Naruto felt only pretty good at the things he could do. Although, Sasuke's personality was a little standoffish and Naruto was considered good with people, charming, personable, great at interviews and talk shows. In a way, he just sensed Sasuke wasn't so much shy as reserved. He was young when recruited, so it made sense.

"You're being more quiet than usual," Sasuke commented. "Have you fallen asleep?"

"Just thinkin'," he answered, breathing out a sigh.

"About?"

"The old days."

Sasuke leaned into him. "Anything in particular?"

"You, I guess," he said. "How we didn't always get along."

"We got along _well _enough."

Naruto lifted his head and tilted it, nose almost brushing Sasuke's jaw. "Are you kiddin'? Did you miss that part during our variety show when I yelled from the rooftop?"

"I thought that was for attention."

He nudged him with his chest. "You _would _think that. So arrogant. Always good at everything."

"Is that a crime?" Sasuke also turned his head, dark eyes intense and focused on him.

Naruto scowled. "You were cold to me. You teased me 'cause I was short. If I tried to touch you, you pushed me off and preferred to be around other members. Like you found me annoying."

"You _were _annoying," Sasuke explained, but kept his tone gentle so Naruto didn't take too much offense. "You were always trying to show off in front of the camera. You were a brat. Pulling pranks on everyone during lives and rehearsals. Hardly ever serious—"

"Hey—"

"But I knew you worked harder than everyone else," Sasuke continued. "At dancing, and taking singing lessons, working out in the gym. When you were nice to me, I thought it was because I was the youngest. It's how all the older members treat me. I didn't see it as special. I was surprised when you called me out that day. I didn't know you felt that way."

Naruto's face turned red hot. He hid it by putting his head on Sasuke's shoulder, clutching at the front of the man's shirt. "Not used to you talkin' so much, especially about this kinda stuff."

"I'm willing to. If it makes you feel less insecure."

Naruto unraveled his legs and wrapped them around Sasuke's waist, giving him a tight hug and—with a shriek of frustration—fell back onto the bed, taking Sasuke with him.

As if nothing had happened, Sasuke continued playing on Naruto's laptop—holding it in place on his thighs—while resting his head against Naruto's stomach. Comfortable like this, Naruto lay there and shut his eyes, fighting a strong urge to touch him more. He began running his fingers through Sasuke's hair, rubbing his head. His other hand, he placed on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I might fall asleep here if you keep doing that," Sasuke informed him.

"I have a big bed," he replied and then realized what he'd said, surprised at himself.

"Is that an invitation?" Sasuke asked, without missing a beat.

"Shameless."

"It's not like I can move."

"Oh, is that so? I'll let you go then—" He began to unwrap his legs from Sasuke's waist when the rapper grabbed him and kept him in place.

"Stay still," Sasuke scolded him lightly. "I'm still adding songs. That way there will be something for me to listen to."

"It's my playlist." Naruto stuck out his bottom lip, pretending to pout. "You have your own."

"Do you look at it?"

"Maybe."

Naruto continued massaging Sasuke's head. "What do you think about Son's choreo today?"

"It's hard," Sasuke replied. "But it feels good doing it."

"I thought so, too." Naruto grinned. "I like that part when we go badupdupdup and it's like hit hit _hit_, then cross and spin, bam, jump, hit."

"Surprisingly, I know what part you mean."

"If I wasn't so tired," he said, punctuating his words with a yawn. "I'd say we go practice."

"I wouldn't mind trying something else."

He smirked. "Oh, not ours? Traitor."

"Like we've never done it before."

With a sigh, Sasuke set the laptop aside and leaned fully into Naruto's body. Naruto moved his fingers to Sasuke's temples, massaging him there.

"Practice has been brutal lately, hasn't it. I'm so sore I can barely walk the day after."

"You don't drink enough water," Sasuke replied. "I thought you were going to faint the other day."

"I think I _did _faint the other day."

"You don't always remember to eat either." Sasuke was tugging at his sweatpants.

"Eh, I've felt fat lately. Might do me good."

"Not if you end up passing out on stage."

"Oh, I'm supposed to be the one lookin' out for you. You're the precious youngest member."

Sasuke flicked him on the knee. "I already know how to take care of myself. It's _you _who needs reminding."

"Tch."

"That," Sasuke made a noise of pleasure, "Feels good."

Amused, Naruto's eyebrow shot up. "_That_ was a rather explicit sound."

"Did you like it?" Sasuke asked, humor in his voice.

Naruto smacked him upside the head. "Don't get fresh with me."

Sasuke laughed at him, the sound husky and low. Naruto moved onto his neck, massaging him where he felt the muscles were unreasonably tight.

"Why are you so wound up?" He asked in a hushed tone, digging into the knots. "You're tight everywhere. Is it 'cause you're alone with me in my room? Think somethin's gonna happen?"

"I wouldn't feel uptight if I thought something was going to happen."

Naruto smacked him on the shoulder this time. "What is up with you?"

Sasuke shrugged against him, humming with the next song that had come on (another of Naruto's favorites).

He sang with it, "I'mma let you get the best of me."

The song made him wiggle around on the bed, forcing Sasuke to shift back and forth between his legs until Naruto rolled to the side, pinning Sasuke down with one leg. He was laying half on top of him, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind, so Naruto continued to wriggle around to the song. He laughed when Sasuke reached over to grab one of the pillows and placed it under his head.

"Let me know when you're done," he said to Naruto. "I'll make myself comfortable."

Naruto rested the side of his face against Sasuke's shoulder, singing the lyrics he liked so much: "Wakin' up next to you. Got you back in my arms. Don't it feel like it used to? Like we were never apart?" He had one eye shut, the other looking out the open window. "Never thought I would see you. Now we're loving in the dark. We can't fight this feeling, no."

"I like when you sing low like that," Sasuke mumbled into the pillow, sounding tired.

"That's how I usually sing." He chuckled, delighted and embarrassed by the compliment. "You're the one who sounds good singin' lower. You should join the vocal line."

"I'll consider it."

Naruto lifted up, shocked. "Seriously?"

"I'm not opposed."

"Gaara would lose his shit." Naruto laughed aloud at the thought, flopping down on top of him again. "He'd totally know it was me who influenced you, ah, but I'd love to have you sing. You rap and sing so well, and dance. How'd you get so cool, Sasuke?"

"Endless training and going to work with a dance coach in the States?"

"Remember when we used to all stay in the same room? God, how did we do that?"

"How do you even forget something like that." Sasuke clucked his tongue. "It wasn't so bad. You get used to it. I can only complain about the snoring."

"Oh, who. Neji? Or Shikamaru?"

"Neji will never admit he snores."

Naruto's body shook on top of Sasuke's with his laughter. "True. You never snored. You'd fall right to sleep after practice, and no matter what we tried, you wouldn't wake up. You were out."

"I woke up, but I ignored you."

"I wonder why I feel so nostalgic. Probably seein' you all grown up these days."

"I've been grown up for a while," said Sasuke, "I'm 21."

"Yeah, but I remember when you were 14 and I was 16."

"I was young then. I'm a different person now."

Naruto frowned. "Not completely. You're still a lot like the you then, but yeah… you talk more and interact more and don't fling me halfway across the room if I hug you now."

"I guess you've domesticated me."

"You should sleep," Naruto told him. "Go back to your room."

"Too tired."

Naruto thought on it and whether he should force Sasuke to get up and go to his room, even if he had to carry him on his back, but it wasn't a big deal. They had the morning off tomorrow.

Slowly, Naruto pulled himself up and off of his bandmate and after manhandling him some, managed to get him under the covers at least. Sasuke immediately rolled onto his side, back to Naruto, and shifted closer to the edge of the bed. He was positive that Sasuke was out a whole minute later. He even stuck his finger under the man's nose to see if he was still breathing.

"Wow, you really do conk out, don't you?" Naruto smiled down at him, tempted to finger his bangs to the side. He stopped himself, so as not to wake Sasuke up.

Instead, he got off of the bed so that he could put his laptop away. He went over to the window, shut it, and closed the blinds. While he was picking up random things around the room, he plugged the charger into his phone and set it on the nightstand while he went to go brush his teeth. When he came back, he picked up his phone again, scrolling through some comments on the groups' shared Twitter before putting it away.

The whole time, Sasuke didn't make a single sound, but, looking over, he looked completely exhausted. To tell the truth, it felt like he'd known Sasuke _forever_, which he guessed he had, really. They'd become like family to each other, and Naruto had tried to take care of him even when they weren't getting along so well. Now, though, it seemed Sasuke was the one taking care of him a lot of the time. It was funny watching someone mature like that, and it made Naruto feel and _think _a lot of things because it seemed the two of them were growing closer. Naruto found... he _liked _being around Sasuke more. They had better and deeper conversations than they used to, shared similar taste in music, were apparently stealing each other's clothing and sleeping together.

However, even though it felt nice and it was harmless, Naruto did wonder what the other members would think about it. Gaara would definitely give him crap, but Naruto would handle it if it came to that. Besides, nothing funny was happening between them.

They were just… normal friends.

After one last look at Sasuke's sleeping form, Naruto reached over and turned off the light. He huddled down under the blankets, turning onto his side so that his back was to his bandmate. Earlier—before Sasuke came by—Naruto thought he was destined to stay up all night, but now all he had to do was let his head hit the pillow and he was fast asleep, too.


	3. Fireworks

**Part III: Fireworks**

* * *

As the fireworks exploded above their heads and confetti rained down on the audience, an emotional Naruto sat crouched at the front of the stage, looking out at their screaming fans. They were in Hong Kong at a larger venue than the last time they toured here. It was their third consecutive night of performances. Concerts, for him, were the best part of being a performer, but also the most exhausting and emotionally draining. Watching all the fans out there—most of whom had supported GCF since their debut—made Naruto so overwhelmed that he started to cry a little. And the more he tried to get himself to stop, the harder the tears came.

While sitting there, he sensed a presence behind him and knew, by instinct, it was the youngest GCF bandmate. Crouching behind him, Uchiha Sasuke placed his elbows on Naruto's shoulders. He tried to hide his face with his hand, knowing they were visible on the jumbo screen. Two hours of dancing had left his legs weak, so it was Sasuke keeping him upright. The instant Naruto took in a deep breath to calm himself, he felt a pressure on his ear and realized Sasuke was sucking the tip—once—and then again when Naruto had begun to shake in his arms.

"What are you?" Sasuke whispered. "A crybaby?" His voice sounded rough from rapping and singing all night. "Get up, loser, or you'll upset our fans."

Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke dragged him to his feet and forced him to get in line with their other members. They bowed long and low toward the crowd. Cameras flashed and another round of fireworks lit up the evening sky like so many shimmering jewels. When they bowed a second time, he grabbed for Sasuke's hand and, on his other side, Gaara's.

It was an amazing night, but tomorrow, sadly, they'd be flying back to Tokyo in the evening.

* * *

Following the concert, they were hanging out backstage as the fireworks were going off still. A few of the members had already retreated to their waiting room. Meanwhile Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, and Suigetsu were sitting on top of some equipment, watching the sky light up in a rainbow of colors. Sasuke was pressed to his left side but talking to Suigetsu. Naruto had his arm around Kiba, who sat on his right. Knowing that Sasuke had been babying him since the show's encore, Naruto passed his water over to him. He took it without looking at Naruto. It was getting cold, so Naruto zipped his black GCF hoodie.

"Are y'gonna cry after every concert?" Kiba asked, shooting him an obnoxiously smug grin.

Naruto pounced, putting him in a headlock. "_Probably_. You had tears in your eyes, too!"

"Nah, that was sweat. It was fun. Good crowd."

"We _always _have a good crowd," Naruto replied, releasing him. "Our fans are the best."

"I dunno, man. It's pretty sad when the youngest has to take care of you."

"Hey, everyone needs to be taken care of once in a while. Just means we raised him right." He nudged Sasuke with an elbow, but didn't get any response, so he did it again.

Sasuke turned to him and smirked. "Do you need a Kleenex?"

"You can't talk to me that way." He stuck his tongue out. "I'm older than you."

"You don't act like it."

Suigetsu leaned across Sasuke in order to grab Naruto's wrist. "Y'guys know that clip's gonna go viral, right? All the fangirls are gonna be rabid."

"Because I cried?" Naruto asked.

"No, dumbass," Suigetsu grinned. "Sasuke doin' that thing with your ear!"

"Please, he was just tryin' to snap me out of it." Naruto shifted to the side, using Sasuke's thigh for balance as he pushed Suigetsu away. "It's _Sasuke_. He does _weird _stuff sometimes."

"I don't do _weird _stuff," Sasuke murmured.

Naruto shot him a look, becoming aware of how close it brought their faces. They stared at one another, neither flinching, at least until Kiba thwacked him so hard on the back that he whipped around and punched him in the arm. After Kiba begged forgiveness, they fell into their conversations again. They didn't stop until Neji, looking annoyed he had to come get them, grabbed Naruto by the collar and informed everyone they were headed back to the hotel.

By then, they'd be pretty exhausted. Naruto wondered if he had energy to do a V-Live, but all he really wanted to do was wash up and get into bed, maybe review tonight's performance.

* * *

Once Naruto was out of the shower, he stared at his phone guiltily, but he was just too tired to start a Live. He ended up picking it up before taking a seat on the bed, a towel wrapped around his neck. He scrolled through various social media feeds, looking at the pics fans had uploaded of the concert. They really did have some amazing fans. Naruto was smiling by the time he put the phone down again. He tried rotating his shoulder. There was this kink that was killing him. He'd slipped somewhere in the middle of the show—which wasn't terribly unusual—and his ankle felt kind of funky. Generally, he was a fast healer, so he wasn't all that worried.

While debating about whether to order room service, Naruto slipped on a white t-shirt and a pair of loose gray sweatpants that he normally wore for dance practice. A few minutes later, he heard his phone notification going off, indicating someone had started a Live. Curious, he went to see who it was and when the video came on the screen, he saw it was Suigetsu—with a very grumpy, tired looking Sasuke in the background, curled up on the loveseat. Naruto smirked at the youngest's distress and set down the phone so that he could listen while reading through the hotel menu. He glanced at the screen when he heard his name come up. Suigetsu was calling him to his room, but Naruto wasn't up to it. Plus he'd already taken off his makeup.

He texted Sasuke: _Not happening_.

On the screen, he saw Sasuke checking his phone.

Sasuke replied: _I'm plotting my escape. What are you doing?_

_No, I'm glad one of us is doing one tonight. Just showered. Was gonna order food._

_Order me something, and I'll gift you with my presence._

Naruto chuckled. _What do you want?_

_Japanese noodles_.

_Ramen?_ He typed hopefully.

_That's fine, but get some meat, too._

_Anything else, ouji-sama?_

Sasuke sent a gif he'd have to hit him for later. Naruto returned his attention to the menu and, grabbing the phone on the bedside table, placed an order in broken English for some spicy ramen, two pieces of steak, and rice. He should put more effort into learning English. There was only one of them who spoke English fluently—their leader. He thought Gaara's English wasn't so bad either, but he didn't have the personality to lead all their interviews (as much as he loved Gaara, of course). Sasuke, too, wasn't awful at it. Again, personality conflict. Heh.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes, hands folded on his stomach. It took a while to come down from the rush of performing no matter how tired his body was. He laughed every once in a while, listening to Suigetsu and Sasuke argue and pick on each other.

Maybe he drifted off for a few minutes because his eyes snapped open when he heard the doorbell. Naruto reached for his phone to check the time, figuring it room service had arrived. With a groan, Naruto rolled onto his side and got up and went to answer the door, using what little bit of Chinese he'd been taught this past week. Of course, his knowledge was lost on Sasuke, who stood in front of him, holding an already opened bottle of Bacardi.

"Where did you get that?" Naruto laughed, placing a hand on the youngest member's back while ushering him into the room.

"I stole it from Gaara's room. Don't tell anyone."

"Like I _would_," he replied, shuddering at the notion. "Do I look like I wanna die?"

"Hn. Where's the food?"

"I only ordered it 20 minutes ago. Fell asleep. Did your Live end?"

"Yeah."

"Mm." Naruto stretched his arms above his head, both of them able to hear the crack his shoulder made. "God, my shoulder is killin' me."

"A shower didn't help?" Sasuke took a seat on the edge of the bed.

Naruto went around to the other side and sat, back to the headboard. "Not much."

Sasuke moved toward the center, mirroring Naruto's position, beckoning to him while wearing a rather cheeky expression. "Come here."

"Why?" He asked, squinting at him suspiciously.

"Really?"

"Hmm." Cautiously, Naruto shifted closer to him. Sasuke took hold of his wrist, pulling at him and positioning Naruto so that he sat in front of him, between his legs. He proceeded to massage Naruto's shoulders. Right away, Naruto's head dropped and he moaned.

"Oh, yes. Sasuke. Ugh, that feels good."

Sasuke chuckled next to his ear.

"Aaaah, don't stop."

"Stop making it sound dirty," Sasuke whispered.

"I wasn't—Ugh, _yessss_."

The doorbell rang, and Naruto groaned in disappointment when Sasuke pushed him out of the way to go answer. He greeted the staff person in his usual terse manner, signing in place of Naruto, before rolling the dining cart next to the bed. While Sasuke organized the dishes, Naruto got up to retrieve a couple of the glasses next to the minibar. He poured them each a modest amount of rum, and they sat together at the table near the sliding door that led out to a balcony.

"Finish my massage after we eat," Naruto mumbled, picking up his chopsticks and digging into their large serving of ramen.

Sasuke had started cutting his steak. "We'll see."

He slurped in a mouthful of ramen. "How do you feel? You sound kinda hoarse."

"I'll manage."

"Hmm." Naruto studied him dubiously. "Get some good rest tonight."

Sasuke, stuffing his face with steak, made a grunt of acknowledgment that had him grinning. He reached over and ruffled the younger man's hair.

"When did you get so good lookin', huh?"

Sasuke glanced up at him, cheeks puffed out and filled with food. In the distance, the sound of a siren went off. Their hotel was in the middle of the business district with an excellent view of the skyline when the curtain was drawn open (and the air wasn't thick with pollution). They ate, joking and talking intermittently, both of them clearly had been hungry. He refilled Sasuke's glass once more before getting up from the table—his own glass in his hand—and collapsing on top of the bed. He crawled his way toward the headboard, propping up two pillows behind him. Naruto closed his eyes, breathing out a sigh of contentment while patting his belly. Seconds later, he felt the dip in the mattress as Sasuke crawled on it to join him.

They clinked their glasses.

"Cheers," both said.

Naruto rested his head against the wall. "Don't think you're gonna sleep in here tonight."

"I wasn't planning on it. I still have to shower."

"Don't get back to your room, fall asleep, and forget about washing up either."

"How old do you think I am?" Sasuke asked, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

"Hm. In my head? I'd say you're still 14," Naruto replied thoughtfully.

"I'm almost 22."

Naruto shrugged, scooting closer so that their shoulders touched. He lay his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "All you do is work out nowadays, too. Is it all to protect me? Since I'm such an important member?"

"You are relatively weak compared to other members," Sasuke answered.

Naruto thwacked him in the stomach. "That's not true. I used to have muscles and better abs."

"Mm. I remember. You still have abs, though."

"Do I?" Naruto pulled up his shirt to check, poking his stomach. "Ah, not really."

He let out another sigh.

"Did I really look uncool cryin' on stage?" Naruto asked.

"No. You look like you cared a lot."

"Why did you do that to my ear?"

"Why?" Sasuke moved and Naruto shifted, removing his head from the man's shoulder. "Did you like it a little too much?"

Immediately, Naruto elbowed him in the ribs.

"Management is gonna start sayin' somethin' soon. I'm expectin' Gaara to give me crap tomorrow, too, and Leader—"

"It wasn't anything, Naruto. I was just trying to make you stop crying."

"Hey, I'm not sayin' I was bothered—

"Oh, is that so?" Sasuke smirked. "Shall I do it again?" He started to lean in, but Naruto pushed him away as obviously he was joking.

"Brat."

Sasuke snickered. "You care too much about what other people think."

"_You_ don't care enough. Like I said, I wasn't bothered. But you're gonna attract unwanted attention to yourself. It's all I'm sayin'." Naruto, absently, played with one of his earrings.

"Are you worried about me?" Sasuke's voice had dropped, so Naruto paid him another glance.

"I always worry about you, since you're the youngest."

"But you just said you wanted me to protect you."

"Hmph." Naruto pouted. "I can protect you, too. Everything you learned, you learned from me, right? Always copyin' me. I was born in our hometown first. You wear earrings like me. You even wear the same contacts as me—"

"All coincidence," Sasuke said. "I can't help being born in the same town as you."

"What about the other stuff?"

"You're so full of yourself." Sasuke snorted, sliding over to set his glass down and then returning to his place beside Naruto. He pulled at Naruto's sleeve for a while before tugging him in earnest.

"What?" Naruto asked him, eyebrow raised. "You're bein' kinda cute right now."

"Move over. I'll massage your shoulders and back."

"Ah!" He got excited and since his glass was empty anyway, set it on the nightstand. He made clumsy show of crawling between Sasuke's legs and, before he could start, lay fully against the youngest member's chest. "I knew you had a soft spot for me."

"The only soft spot is your flabby stomach." Sasuke poked him.

"Ha!" Naruto tried to turn around, but Sasuke kept him in place.

"Stay still." He continued where he left off, massaging Naruto's shoulder and as he hunched over, also rubbed at various spots along his back, all the way down to his hips. "You feel really tight. Are you this out of shape?"

"I'm gettin' old, what can I say?"

"You're nearly 24."

"Exactly. Mid-20s."

"True. You're an adult."

"I've been an adult."

"Mm." Sasuke really worked his fists into Naruto's sore muscles and, after a few minutes, started to sing one of Naruto's songs softly near his ear.

"...I'm gonna turn you onto the vocal line yet…"

"You're going to turn me on…? After the lecture you just gave me?"

"Shut up." Naruto, body shaking with his laughter, tried to turn his head again but Sasuke shoved it back down. "_Bully_. I'm older—"

"Yes, yes, I know." He shifted around behind Naruto and slowly wrapped his legs around him, forcing Naruto's legs apart. "I should go soon."

"Mm. You should. You smell like sweat."

"That's my natural musk."

Naruto barked out a laugh. "Why'd you say that in Neji's voice?"

"Because it's funnier that way."

"It is. You're right." He set his hand on Sasuke's knee and squeezed it. "If only people knew how truly funny Neji is when you get him alone. He's clearly rubbin' off on you."

"They know if they watch 'Eat Neji'."

"He really should rename that, but I don't think he realizes," Naruto muttered.

"He can be dense, but so can you." Sasuke put his hands around Naruto's neck. "Yaaah."

"Ah, yes, put me out of my misery." He covered Sasuke's hands with his. "Go take a shower. I'm tired of your smell."

"Na-ru-to," Sasuke pronounced.

"Oh, when did we get so close we're on a first-name basis?" He joked. "I'm your older brother, show some respect. Speakin' of, did you see that magazine article about Ita-"

"Don't finish that sentence or I'll strangle you for real."

"What? It was a good article. Show some support—"

"No."

"Tch. Fine."

"Your the only older brother I like." Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's back. "Well, one of six."

"You have a lot of older brothers to choose from, be grateful."

"I am." He unwound his legs from Naruto's waist. "I'm going. Call me if you get bored."

"I won't. You're goin' to get some rest, and so am I." Naruto rolled to the side so as to get away, his head propped up with one hand, watching him.

Sasuke fussed with his hair before looking over at him. He smiled, so Naruto smiled back and laughed, swiping a hand through his own hair.

"You embarrass easily," Sasuke told him, eyes alight with humor.

"Are my cheeks red?" He rubbed at them, nearly falling flat on his face in doing so.

Sasuke pat the top of his head like he were a child. "Good night, Naruto."

"Good night, Sasuke." He wiggled his foot at him; Sasuke grabbed it and folded one of his toes back until Naruto pounded on top of the bed for mercy.

"You're so weak." Sasuke got off of the bed and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal his abs.

Naruto whistled. "Uchiha Sexy. Just like the fans call you in the fan cafe."

"Shut up." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, staring at Naruto.

"What?"

"Are you sure you won't get lonely without me?"

"Why are you stallin'? Get out of here. Go take a shower. Go read a web comic, then sleep."

"I see when I'm not wanted." Sasuke walked over to the door, his hand on the knob. "See you tomorrow?"

"Mm. I'm gonna sleep until noon if I can."

"Alright, see you then." He opened the door and left, door clicking softly shut behind him.

Naruto sat for a moment before rolling onto his back, shoving a pillow under his head. He stretched his arms above him, making an L with the fingers of both hands and putting them together to form a small rectangle—like he was shooting a film. He should ask Sasuke to teach him how to shoot and edit videos like he did sometimes. Sasuke was good at everything.

Naruto didn't mind, though. He was proud their youngest member was so cute and talented.

He let his arms fall down to his sides, knowing he should get up and turn the lights off. It sounded too hard. He suddenly felt really exhausted. Turning onto his side again, he grabbed one of the other pillows and brought it to his stomach, snuggling it. He took in a deep breath and let it out, reaching up to touch the tip of his ear that Sasuke had assaulted.

"Heh." Eyes closed, he chuckled. "Our youngest is such a _cute _little bastard."

* * *

a/n: I bet you didn't see Neji as 'Jin', but I couldn't stop thinking about Neji hosting his own food-centric videos on V-Live. And thinking about Sasuke and Neji goofing around like JK and Jin do, I just - Heh. I suppose I should introduce Itachi, huh.


	4. Burn the Stage

**Part IV: Burn the Stage**

* * *

"H-how is he?" Naruto stuck his head behind the curtain, staring with wide eyes at the prone form lying on the floor. He knew Sasuke hadn't been acting right since the second song, but it was Sasuke—who never got injured and was hardly ever ill.

But, now, there were several staff members surrounding him, holding a breathing mask to his face. Sasuke looked really pale and sweaty, his limbs lying limp beside his body. The rest of the GCF members were crowded around him, but they had to go back on stage shortly for their remaining sets. Naruto had just done his solo and would be too anxious to leave.

"Let's take off your socks," said one of the staff, but Sasuke kicked out his leg in refusal.

"What," one of the other medical staff scolded, "Your socks are your pride?"

Much to Naruto's relief, Sasuke smirked from under the mask.

"You should take off your pants," Neji suggested, staring down at the youngest with a deep frown. "We should give him some privacy." He started ushering everyone out of the space, and even Naruto started to make his way out until he saw Sasuke beckoning weakly to him.

"Stay?" Naruto mouthed, stepping forward from behind the curtains.

Sasuke nodded, allowing staff to replace the mask. Naruto watched the other members go, and went to sit as close as he could to his bandmate without getting in the way. Someone nearby offered him an icepack and pointed to Sasuke. So—gently—Naruto set on his forehead. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he forced a smile. Carefully, he brushed Sasuke's bangs to the side. The younger man opened his at the touch, revealing gray-colored contacts.

"I-is it exhaustion?" Naruto asked the medical personnel. "Is it too hot? Heat stroke?"

"That, or," the older man was checking Sasuke's wrist, "Altitude sickness. He said it's happened before, so that very well could be it."

"I didn't know that," Naruto mumbled, mildly irritated Sasuke hadn't mentioned this before the concert. They were in Santiago, Chile, but would be back in Japan in two days. He checked his watch, wondering how much time he had before he needed to be on stage. Obviously Sasuke wasn't going to be returning with him, so they'd have to cover his parts. Naruto could cover the dancing easily, but the rapping would have to be left to someone else. Gaara probably.

He sighed and, spotting Sasuke's idle hand, he reached for it. Almost instantly Sasuke responded with a tight squeeze.

"Tryin' to break my fingers?" Naruto grinned.

Sasuke took the mask off. "I'm going back out."

"Uh, _no _you're not. You look awful."

The youngest glared at him. "I'm fine. I feel better already. There's only two more songs."

"_And_ the encore. Don't even think about it. We can cover for you."

"I'm fine, Naruto," and to accentuate his point, began to sit up, much to the distress of all the personnel around them. However, Sasuke was stubborn, so he ignored them. As he stood, he dragged a surprised Naruto to his feet—their hands still locked.

"No," Naruto ordered flatly. "I'm older than you. Obey me."

"Just because you're older doesn't mean you can control me."

"Uh, pretty sure that's exactly what it means. Do I need to go get Neji and—"

"_No_. Because I've made up my mind." Sasuke let go of his hand and, without listening to Naruto's additional complaints, started to walk out of the room while calling to their stylist and make-up person. There were a flurry of people around Sasuke, attempting to get him ready.

Frustrated, Naruto followed him down the corridor while three people tried to button Sasuke's shirt, apply powder to his face, and style his spiky hair. Where was there manager anyway? Shouldn't he be here helping Naruto tie Sasuke to a chair? He was going to have to have a talk with Kakashi later about never being around when Naruto needed him.

He grabbed hold of Sasuke's elbow, stopping him and shooing away the staff.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "They're only doing their job."

"You're gonna freak our fans out. What if you get up there and pass out again?"

"I didn't pass out," Sasuke argued. "I got light-headed. I feel fine now."

"No, you don't. You don't even look fine."

"So, what do you suggest? Leave a hole in the rest of the performance?"

"I can fill in for the dancing," Naruto hissed. "Start thinkin' smarter, Sasuke."

"What would _you _do?" Sasuke shot back, jerking his arm away. "Would _you _stand aside? Or, would you drag yourself out there to perform? It's our last show, and we haven't been here in two years. Trust me. I know my body. I have it in me to do the rest of this. I'll rest afterward."

"Why are you so stubborn?" Naruto looked away, trying to get his temper under control. He ran through all possible scenarios in his head. He wanted Sasuke to rest. Maybe they could put a chair out on the stage, and he could sing and rap from there.

"Come on," Sasuke told him. "We need to go."

"Oh, are you actually waitin' for my permission?" Naruto looked back at him, tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth in his annoyance.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

Well. That shocked him. He swallowed, glancing around them nervously, but he wasn't entirely sure why he felt so self-conscious.

"I mean," Naruto wet his lips, "_Fine_. But, if you start to feel faint, get off the stage. And I _mean _it. I don't care how many people are out there, I'll drag your ass off to the side. You know I will."

"I know you will." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto gazed upward as if asking the Heavens for strength. Meanwhile, Sasuke had already begun moving down the hall, headed toward the stage. He had to jog to catch up to him, and then he slipped an arm around Sasuke's waist in case he still needed support.

"Why didn't you mention the altitude sickness to me?" He asked.

"I didn't think it would affect me again."

Naruto gave a dubious hum. "Thought we told each other everything."

"Are you pouting right now?" Sasuke glanced at him, their faces close.

"Maybe."

"Hn. ...Punish me later?"

Naruto, though his cheeks went red hot, swatted him on the ass. "_Sasuke_!"

"Is that a no?" Sasuke snuck his arm around Naruto's waist, drawing him closer.

Naruto pushed him off. "You're such a cocky brat."

"Whatever." Sasuke whistled, slipping his hands into the pockets of his—very tight—skinny jeans. He started to sing one of their songs.

Forgetting he was mad, Naruto joined in after a few more steps until they were near the entrance of the stage. They could hear the roar of the crowd and the other members rapping.

"Gaara sounds so good lately. He was crackin' me up earlier."

Sasuke gave him a strange look, but didn't say anything.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, putting in his earpiece and adjusting it.

"Nothing."

"You don't think he sounded good?"

"Of course he sounded good. It's Gaara."

Naruto scowled, but as he saw Sasuke struggling with his mic pack, he quickly turned around the youngest and fussed with it until he was given a thumbs up. He tucked Sasuke's shirt in for him. When Sasuke seemed ready to go, Naruto couldn't help but stare at him.

"I was really worried," he said. "Don't scare me like that again."

"It was an anomaly."

"Promise?" He held out his pinky and waited until Sasuke linked his own with Naruto's.

"Promise," Sasuke replied.

Naruto put an arm around him and hugged him, settling his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. He gave the younger man one last pat on the back before separating them.

"Alright," he said, giving Sasuke's butt a slap. "Let's get this show on the road."


	5. Girl Groups

**Part V: Girl Groups**

* * *

All seven members of GCF were sitting under the hot lights of the studio in a TV broadcast station, doing a promotional interview. Naruto hadn't been feeling the greatest today. He'd, stupidly, stayed up late watching videos on YouTube the night before and didn't go to bed until dawn. Not that he would consider himself a morning person regardless.

He glanced toward the other end of the table where Sasuke sat between Neji and Gaara. The youngest didn't look happy to be here. Naruto thought he looked different somehow today. Something new with his hair? He appeared more attractive than usual today, especially since he was wearing the new earring Naruto had given to him on his birthday a week ago. When he felt a sharp jab in his side, Naruto looked over and abruptly realized Kiba was frantically jamming a bony elbow into his ribs. He gave a jerk of his head toward the opposite direction. Naruto realized that one of the interviewers had just asked him a question. Shit!

"Oh," Naruto said, cheeks burning as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Uh…. What was the question again?"

Beside him, Kiba snickered. He didn't dare look at the other members. The older ones would scold him later. If he glanced at Sasuke right now, he knew he'd spot an annoyingly smug smirk, so he straightened up and decided to rely on the charms he was known for to save face.

"Heh, sorry. That's what I get for goin' without breakfast this mornin'."

"Oh, no," said the pretty female DJ. "You didn't eat?"

He grinned at her. "I don't usually eat breakfast. I promise I'll grab a banana after this."

"We won't let you leave without getting you something!" She turned to her co-host. "No wonder he's so skinny, do you think?"

"Isn't it because they practice and work out so much? Not that I would know anything about working out!" The male co-host patted his stomach, which wasn't especially large.

It broke the tension and everyone in the room laughed.

"As we were saying," the female DJ continued, "What was something you enjoyed about visiting Hong Kong with the other members?"

"Hmm. If I had to say," Naruto crossed his legs and started playing with the silver ring on his finger, "The food! Definitely the food. I ordered take-out every night we were there!"

"Uh oh, if you keep doing that, won't you turn out looking like me?" The male DJ interjected.

Naruto chuckled. "Nah. My fans often tell me I need to put on more weight." He pulled at his cheeks. "They like when my cheeks are a bit chubbier than they are now."

"Ah, yes. Your cheeks are very charming, Naruto," the woman cooed.

Naruto blushed at the compliment and—at that very moment—just _happened _to glance to his right to observe the other members' reactions and noticed Sasuke in particular. It affected Naruto's expression minutely since he was a _professional_, but Sasuke had been… _glaring _at him?

What the hell was _his _problem? Well, there wasn't time to guess all of the _many _possible reasons the youngest might be brooding so early in the morning. They were _live_, after all!

"Mm," Naruto acknowledged. "Some mistake me for bein' the youngest since I look like this."

"Is that so? They don't realize Sasuke is the _youngest _member of GCF?"

"It's 'cause Naruto's always _actin'_ like the youngest," Kiba crowed, slapping him hard on the back as if he hadn't heard that joke a million times.

"Is that true?" The male DJ asked. "Sasuke, what do _you _think? Does Naruto act like the youngest?"

"On most days," Sasuke dead-panned. "I think _he's _the one who's the younger brother."

"But you do have a lot of experience being the youngest brother," said the female DJ, changing the subject. "Your older brother is the famous actor Uchiha Itachi, correct?"

Oof. That question was always taboo during interviews. Even Naruto felt the way the temperature dropped in the studio. For a second, he worried if Sasuke would pop off on her for asking, but—though it took a half minute to reply—he answered her in a low, even voice.

"That's correct. Uchiha Itachi is my older brother."

"And does Naruto treat you as well as your older brother does? Or, are you the one who takes care of Naruto?" She continued, oblivious.

Sensing Sasuke's growing tension, Naruto decided to jump in before the DJ became a casualty. "Itachi is always very good to us on the few times we see him. I hope I'm as good an older brother as he is, but also Sasuke does take very good care of me. When I'm not feelin' well—or if my ego's gettin' too big, he's always there to make fun of me and keep me humble."

This captured the interviewer's attention, thankfully.

"So the youngest makes fun of you?" She asked.

"All the time. From the minute he wakes up until he falls asleep in my bed—" He bit his lip, thinking about how that sounded. "Uh, what I mean is—"

But, everyone around him was laughing, and even Sasuke's expression had gone from murderous to slightly flustered after Neji whispered something in his ear.

"Yes, we've heard you're both night owls," the male DJ commented in a friendly tone. "Sasuke, did you stay up late last night, too?"

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, a light pink still tinting his cheeks. "I did. Naruto and I are both the insomniacs of the group. When I go to bother him in his room, I sometimes fall asleep."

"Of course, of course. That's just like brotherly love," the woman gushed. "How nice!"

Sasuke glanced his way, the two of them sharing a look of understanding. He seemed grateful Naruto had changed the topic despite his outwardly neutral expression.

Kiba nudged him again, redirecting his attention. "You two are crackin' me up, man. _Hilarious_. Do you do it on purpose?"

Naruto didn't know what he meant, but he knocked him upside the head anyway since he wasn't in the mood. "Shut _up_, Kiba. This isn't about _you_."

The other member laughed. "Next time, get him back by revealin' his dark secret."

"Dark secret?" Naruto whispered since the DJs were asking Gaara questions now, "Wait, _which _dark secret exactly?"

"Wait, he has _more _than one? I meant, _y'know_." Kiba wiggled in his seat, making a couple of gestures that he immediately recognized.

Naruto barked out a laugh, but quickly moved to cover his mouth. "I couldn't! He'd kill me!"

Kiba shrugged. "He's been actin' pretty smug lately. It's our job to keep him in his place."

"What's so funny?" The male DJ asked suddenly as obviously the both of them hadn't been too subtle about their side-conversation.

"Yeah, Naruto. Tell 'em what's so funny," Kiba taunted, slapping his hand down on Naruto's thigh, forcing an involuntarily kick out of Naruto.

He glared at Kiba, giving him a light shove. "It's nothin'."

Kiba continued squeezing his thigh, and Naruto—feeling guilty—looked Sasuke's way, but the youngest was staring elsewhere, a dark cloud of gloom hanging over his head again.

"Fine, I'll say it," Kiba continued, digging his own grave. "We were just talkin' about a hobby of Sasuke's. Not so well known to fans, though."

"Oh, is it something that the youngest wouldn't mind sharing with our audience?" The female DJ asked, a sweet smile on her face. "What could keep him up so late? Video games?"

"Nah," said Kiba. "Though he does that, too. Actually, the reason he stays up late is that—"

Naruto flinched at what was to come, knowing Sasuke's wrath would be great when they got back to their dorm.

"He secretly likes to watch videos of girl groups, so he can learn the choreography."

The two DJs burst into laughter, while some of the other members snickered. Naruto couldn't help himself either, but he tried covering his mouth behind his hand.

Once the male DJ finished laughing, he held onto the mic. "So, what you're saying is that Sasuke likes to perform girl group choreography for his other members? Very unexpected."

"Does that mean we'll get a demonstration?" The woman asked good-naturedly.

Slowly, Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who had gone absolutely beat red. Oh God, the second-hand embarrassment was too much. He had to look away. There was nothing he could do for Sasuke. Some of the other members were goading Sasuke to do it. He couldn't hold it in any longer and suddenly burst out laughing, Kiba doing the same at his side. Finally, Sasuke grabbed hold of the microphone in front of him and in a very low, cold tone of voice said:

"I don't think so."

Rather than destroy the jovial atmosphere they'd had going on earlier, everyone started laughing all over again at Sasuke's expense. Naruto laughed so hard, he started coughing and had to yeet his tears out of his eyes since there were no tissues. To be fair, Sasuke as really good at girl group choreography because he was a genius at picking up moves. All he had to do was watch choreo once, and he had most of it memorized. In fact, before they'd even made their debut, he wasn't the best at dancing. Their manager thought he lacked emotion, but for about a month he went to Los Angeles to learn with a professional dance tutor. When he came back, he loved dance so much he'd tried to tell Naruto that he thought he should become a dancer instead of an idol. It was one of the most bizarre things he'd ever heard!

Honestly, people really didn't appreciate how amazing Sasuke was, how quickly he picked up a variety of skills and then executed them as well as professionals who'd been doing it for years. Whether it was dancing, singing, rapping—taking videos, photography—there wasn't much Sasuke wasn't good at. Sometimes they took it for granted. Even Naruto. But, he recognized it in their youngest member and appreciated it. Plus, Naruto loved performing with him on stage; it was like Sasuke became a completely different person. Very complex guy, Uchiha Sasuke.

Without him realizing it, the interview came to an end while he'd been deep in thought. He was soon up and bowing with the rest of them, filing out of the studio and sort of lagging behind near the doorway. He waited for Sasuke, who stopped but was giving him the coldest glare.

"It wasn't me," he said, smirking and putting his hands up in a placating manner.

Sasuke obviously didn't buy it. "You encouraged him."

"I didn't. It's Kiba. I can't control him! He says whatever he feels like."

The youngest raised an eyebrow. "I noticed you didn't happen to mention that you also do it."

"Hey, there's no shame in learnin' girl group choreography." Naruto placed a hand on his back, rubbing it. "To make it up, I'll buy you dinner later if you want."

"I'd rather just go play computer games."

"Hmm. We can order in?"

Naruto let his arm fall to his side. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Thank you, though." Sasuke tilted his head and brushed his bangs out of the way.

Naruto, seeing that they were looking funny still, reached out to fix them. "For what?"

"Changing the subject." Sasuke's voice lowered. "About my brother."

"When will people learn that's a taboo question? You just gotta come up with a generic response so it doesn't get to you. Besides, Itachi—"

"I don't want to discuss this right now."

He frowned. "Okay."

The other members were calling to them, so Naruto put an arm around the youngest's waist and got him moving toward the exit. Their various cars were waiting to take them to the dorm. He and Sasuke usually rode together since they shared a bodyguard.

"I'll buy you skewers," Naruto assured. "Then... I dunno. Get drunk and start a V-Live."

"I think the Leader would kill us if we did that."

"I mean… it's not like he's never done a tipsy V-Live."

"Has he?" Sasuke asked, keeping close to his side.

Naruto hummed, rubbing his chin as he thought. "Maybe not…"

"Let's drink… and take advantage of the dance studio."

"Yeah? You and me dancin' together, drunk, late at night? What could _possibly _go wrong?"

Sasuke smirked. There wasn't much more to be said since once they were outside of the building, there were so many fans, they had to stick close until they got inside the SUV. Sasuke, of course, was quick to whip out his phone. Naruto did the same, though—but thinking about goofing around tonight with Sasuke… sounded like a pretty good time, actually.


	6. Own It

**Part VI: Own It**

* * *

"Why do you have a whole bottle of champagne in your closet?" Sasuke asked as he uncorked it with a loud pop that sent some spurting down the sides.

They'd already split a whole bottle of wine they'd stolen out of Neji's room. He was apparently with their Leader and Gaara, working out some details for a fan meeting next week.

"It's… hmm… " Naruto held out his glass as Sasuke poured it almost to the brim. "Jesus, Sasuke. You're gonna get it all over the carpet."

"Only if you spill it." Sasuke filled his own glass, slightly less than his own.

"Hey, are you tryin' to get me drunk, or what?"

"You're _already _drunk," Sasuke pointed out, falling into a chair in the corner of his bedroom. He didn't know why they weren't in his room given that there was shit everywhere in Sasuke's.

"I thought you were supposed to be the cleanest of us?"

"No, I just don't like my own body being dirty."

"Is that why you come and sleep in my bed? Or Neji's? Or Suigetsu's?"

"Of course… I can see your beds from my room. It gets lonely in here."

"You're wasted."

"I was thinking of getting rid of my bed."

"Then where would you sleep?" Naruto asked, flopping down on the corner of Sasuke's bed and shoving some laundry onto the floor.

Sasuke smirked, twisting sideways in the chair and throwing a leg over one of the chair arms. "With you."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Like hell. I wake up and you're always huggin' me. I need my space."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he sniffed before lifting his chin in the air. "You should only be so lucky. There's lots of people around the world who'd—"

"Hey, don't talk that way about our fans," Naruto pointed at him accusingly. "Be respectful."

"Tch. I wasn't going to say _that_. I mean, in general. If we were allowed to go out by ourselves without security tailing us everywhere."

"It's for your own safety," Naruto reminded him, though that bothered him, too. "There are sacrifices you gotta make when you're a celebrity. You'd get mobbed, or cause a mob and then our fans would get hurt. So, yeah. I think we also have a lotta perks, and we have freedom in our own way. We just have to be smart about it."

Sasuke hummed contemplatively and took another quiet sip of his champagne, foot twitching to the beat of a song playing in the background. "When are we going downstairs?"

"How many times are you gonna ask me that?" Naruto played with one of his earrings.

"As long as it takes for you to say 'now'."

"Are you impatient like this because you're so young?"

"I'm only two years younger than you," Sasuke replied, picking his phone up off of the lamp table when a notification went off. "They started a live. Neji texted to see if I want to join."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Where's my invite?"

"You didn't bring your phone with you."

"Oh." Naruto pushed up to check his back pocket for his phone. "Damn, you're right."

"This is why you're always losing your phone."

"I know where it is!" He argued. "It's… in my bedroom… I think."

"Someone's going to find it and do a hidden camera prank."

"God, how many times are they gonna do that? It's not funny anymore! At least I didn't lose my passport on the plane that one time, that was awful."

Sasuke snorted. "That was _hilarious_. I'm glad the staff get everything on film."

"Not this conversation, though," Naruto replied.

"True, but we should record when we're in the studio." Sasuke gave him a smug look.

"You're really not gonna give up on this, are you?"

"You want to, don't you?" The youngest asked, turning in the chair and spreading out his legs while dropping his head on the back of the chair.

Naruto switched the glass to his other hand and placed his elbows on his knees. "I mean… yeah. Since we didn't practice today, I guess I'm kinda itchy to do somethin'."

"What should we do? What we've been working on lately?"

"The Puspos choreo?"

"Yeah. Isn't he the reason you're always pushing your hair back?"

Unconsciously, Naruto did sweep his hair back and then realized: "Hey… no. I'm my own person. So, don't compare me to anyone else. It's just a habit."

"So sensitive," Sasuke remarked, a single eyebrow lifting in amusement. "Well?"

Naruto sighed, giving him a look that wasn't going to deter Sasuke anyway.

"Fine, after we finish these." He lifted his glass, gesturing.

With a small smile, Sasuke brought the glass to his lips and downed all of it.

"You didn't have to do that," Naruto told him.

Sasuke got to his feet and walked over (or, should he say swaggered?). He slid his hand into one of his jean pockets as he approached Naruto.

Naruto was looking up at him, curious. And then Sasuke grabbed the glass out of his hand. He drank the rest of Naruto's champagne. Instead of getting mad, Naruto just laughed in surprise.

Sasuke's smile grew wider. He set the empty glass down on the desk, returned to Naruto and held out a hand. Naruto took it, but a few seconds passed before he was pulled to his feet.

"I'll bring the camera and tripod," Sasuke told him, continuing to hold onto his hand. "You go get your shoes. I'll meet you down there."

Naruto eyed him, blue eyes shining. "You're cute, y'know that?"

Sasuke scrunched his nose before trying to pull a wide-eyed, innocent face. "I only want to dance with you Uzumaki Naruto. Since you're the best."

"Am I? I'm not even dance leader," he said without any bitterness in his voice. "That voice… don't do that high voice again. It's too weird."

"_I_ like your style." Sasuke finally let go of his hand. "It's sexy."

"Sexy, eh?" Naruto, smiling, rubbed at his chin. He was happy to be praised by the youngest. "I'll take that. It's 'cause I do a really awesome body roll, isn't it?"

"That is one of your specialties, yes," Sasuke replied.

"Are you doin' this just to get me down there? Do you think I'll go back to my room and fall asleep or somethin'?"

Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder. Briefly, Naruto glanced down at it and up again.

"I trust you," he told Naruto.

He started grinning goofily again. "Fine, I'll go get my dancin' shoes on. I'll grab some water and be down there in about 10."

"Good." Sasuke backed away, heading over to the cabinet where he began rooting around for his video equipment. "Don't tell anyone either. They'll want to watch. It'd be annoying."

"Hey," Naruto chastised, but he also was in the mood to hang out, just the two of them.

"You disagree?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at him over his shoulder.

"Like you'd get an answer outta me." He sighed, shoving both hands into his back pockets. "Alright. But only 'cause you said I'm sexy."

"You like that?" Sasuke asked.

"It's strange when _you _say it, but I mean—"

Sasuke was watching him, awaiting his answer with a seriousness he didn't expect.

"What's with that look?" He asked.

"Just waiting to hear where you're going with that."

"Hm?"

"Nothing," said Sasuke. "Stop stalling and go get ready. Don't stand me up, _Naruto_."

"_Bossy_. Watch your tone with your elders." Naruto smiled at him again and scratched the back of his head. He felt flustered, so he glanced around the room, avoiding eye contact. "Okay."

He lingered awkwardly for another 10 seconds before making his way to the door, excited about the prospect of them doing a routine together and filming it. He liked dancing with Sasuke since Sasuke was so polished and good. Their styles were different, but that's what made it fun. He opened the door, licking his hips in anticipation.

"See you in a few, Sasuke."

* * *

They managed to sneak down to the basement where the dance studio was located. When Naruto walked inside, the lights were set low and Sasuke had just finished setting up the camera. Naruto had found his phone—it's why it'd taken him so long to get here—and patted his back pocket to make sure he hadn't lost it on the way.

"You changed clothes," he remarked after shutting the door and flipping the "occupied" light on so that they wouldn't be disturbed by anyone.

Sasuke glanced behind, giving him a once over before replying. "You did, too."

"I only threw on a t-shirt and a flannel. Should I turn on the music? I found my phone."

"I was wondering what took so long," Sasuke mumbled as he rose from a crouch and walked toward him. He'd been in sweats before, but now he was dressed in jeans and a white button-down that looked almost sheer when he stood under one of the dimmed lights.

"You can't rush perfection." He pulled out his phone and synced it with the Bluetooth speakers in the room, scrolling through all of his songs. "Are we doin' _that _one?"

Sasuke came to stand behind him, bumping into him as he glanced over Naruto's shoulder at the screen. "Why? Have you been working on anything else?"

Naruto met his eyes, smiling at his sarcasm.

"...With someone else?" Sasuke asked next, his tone husky and low.

Instinctively, Naruto's head tilted in his direction at the sound of it. "...Who else would that be?"

Sasuke shrugged, still keeping close to him.

"How drunk _are _you?" Naruto asked, trying to gauge from his bandmate's face, but the lack of lighting made it difficult.

"Not enough that it'll interfere with my dancing."

Naruto turned, pressed a hand to Sasuke's chest, and gently pushed him back a half-step. He eyed him closely, amused and intrigued by this new cocky side that he kept encountering with the youngest. He couldn't fathom what was going on inside Sasuke's head lately, but something inside Naruto was reacting to it as if it were a challenge. Maybe it was the anticipation of dancing, or was it that they were sneaking around late at night, not wanting to be interrupted by the other members? The only time they could release emotions or express themselves was typically during concerts or live performances. Next best thing was dance practice. Of course, a healthy amount of fanservice existed in most of their shows, but with Sasuke it was more about a natural mix of competitiveness and respect for their individual talents and dance styles. Naruto couldn't find fault with the clean, graceful movements Sasuke was known for despite receiving less formal training than he and Kiba pre-debut. Would it be too much to wonder, as well, whether his own more modern dance style had somehow influenced Sasuke's technique?

Sasuke had been watching him all the while he was thinking. "You're not scared, are you?"

He gave Sasuke a quizzical look. "Of what?"

Since Sasuke kept being so cryptic these days, Naruto put a hand to his chest and gave him another affectionate push, then another.

"Of what, hm?"

Sasuke let himself be pushed until his back hit the wall with a soft thud.

"You know what," Sasuke murmured.

"Enlighten me." He tugged playfully at the open collar of Sasuke's shirt. "Of you showin' me up? What, were you plannin' on postin' this video to Twitter?"

Sasuke encircled his fingers around Naruto's wrist. "I might."

"Isn't the lighting too dark?"

"It fits the song," Sasuke replied, lightly squeezing his wrist. "Don't you think?"

Naruto wanted to make a joke about how this whole scheme felt like Sasuke was trying to seduce him, but he bit his tongue before it could leave his mouth. It felt… inappropriate.

"Wanna run through it one time first? Before we do it for the camera?" Naruto asked, trying to return the focus to dancing.

"Sure." Sasuke let go of his wrist. "Pull up the video?"

Naruto did, taking his phone out of his pocket and finding the video on YouTube. He held it between them, with Sasuke still leaning against the wall, only a few inches separating their bodies. While holding the phone, Sasuke's hand came underneath his, holding it steady. They watched it twice before they agreed to being ready.

As Sasuke went to turn on the camera, Naruto got into position, adjusting his shirt so it didn't accidentally appear as a boner or something equally embarrassing on camera. He hit play on his phone before setting it on the floor and sending it skidding toward the wall. Sasuke walked back over, standing at his right. They turned toward the opposite wall and waited for the first beat, watching in the mirror. At first, Naruto focused on his own movements, but occasionally his eyes were drawn to Sasuke's. Where Naruto moved more fluidly and took artistic creativity, Sasuke hit hard, but with a roundness to his gestures. An elegance? Elegant hip-hop?

Even though the song was meant to be sexy, he couldn't help but smile, or even laugh. Whenever Sasuke did well, Naruto felt proud. Then again, he'd had some part in raising Sasuke to be this awesome, right? When there was a break in the choreography where they could improvise, Naruto turned around in a circle, stuck his butt out and twerked. Sasuke saw it in the mirror and started pulling his leg up behind him, forcing a laugh so hard out of Naruto that he bent over to touch the floor so that he didn't lose his balance and fall over. It went on like that for a while. The first time through, they tried to be somewhat serious, the second time, too. After that, it became difficult not to goof off. Something a lot of people didn't know about Sasuke was that he had a really good sense of humor. He didn't always show it to the public—though he attempted to be softer with fans—was that he could be a huge dork behind closed doors. Even though Naruto tended to be close to Kiba, and they did goof off a lot—when he hung out with Sasuke, it was different. Kiba was like his twin, but Sasuke was a… rival? A rival and friend, but also a younger sibling who wasn't blood-related?

After over an hour, Naruto lost track of how many times they attempted the choreography. Both of them were perfectionists and might've continued on until the early hours of the morning, but Naruto could tell that the youngest was also tired. His movements were slowing. They were both sweating.

"Shall we take a break?" Naruto asked, and went to get his phone so that he could turn the music off.

He walked to the mini-fridge where they kept some water and grabbed two bottles. Sasuke was busy checking the camera, already playing back some of the footage.

Naruto brought him the second bottle, peeking over the youngest's shoulder to watch the two of them dancing on the small preview screen. "How do we look?"

Sasuke didn't answer, he looked preoccupied. He still hadn't opened his water bottle, so Naruto walked around in a circle and whistled.

"Let me know when I can see it, Director Uchiha," he half-sang, performing his own dance behind Sasuke, but using the choreography from one of GCF's songs.

While Naruto was busy flailing, Sasuke abruptly caught hold of his wrist and dragged him over. Naruto threw an arm around his shoulders, and they watched the footage together.

Sasuke snickered at one of the parts where Naruto was being goofy.

"Look at what you're doin' there," Naruto said, smiling as he pointed at Sasuke on the screen. "Yeah, you gotta put this clip up so fans can see this whole other side of you."

"No, thanks. I'll edit it so that it only shows you being an idiot."

"Ah, man, don't do that. They already make clip videos of every time I've fallen out of a chair."

Sasuke snorted. "Who would watch a video that long?"

"Hey, maybe if they'd build a chair that could contain my awesomeness?"

"Tch." He shut the camera off. "I'll make sure you don't look bad."

"If you do, I've got plenty of pics on my phone I can post right after as blackmail."

"It's not blackmail if you go through with the threat?"

"Ah, you think you're so smart," Naruto said, giving him a shove that sent Sasuke stumbling a couple of steps sideways. "Should've stretched better beforehand, thighs cramping."

"Ah, want me to rub it?" Sasuke asked after finally taking a big gulp of water. He handed it to Naruto. "Hold this for a second?"

"Sure." He watched while Sasuke put the camera into its carrying case and threw the strap over his shoulder. Naruto handed it back when the youngest held his hand out.

"You okay to walk?"

Naruto glanced at him in surprise for asking a considerate question. "Nah, I'm okay. Worried?"

"You don't usually complain."

"I… complain," Naruto replied, wondering why he felt like arguing about how much he whined.

Sasuke noticed, too; he laughed at Naruto, so he gave him a swat on the butt.

"Anyway, I wanna shower, and then… I dunno."

"Come to my room, and we'll play computer games."

"If I come to your room, I'll end up wanting to clean it." He grimaced.

"That's exactly why I asked," Sasuke replied smugly while shutting the door of the practice room once they were out in the hall.

They chatted on their way to the elevator, and on the way up to their floor, as well, and even until they reached Naruto's room. Apparently they were being loud since Gaara stepped out of his room to shoot them a glare.

"Where have you two been?" Gaara clucked at them, noting Sasuke's camera bag. "Have you been drinking?"

"What makes you say that?" Naruto left Sasuke's side to go over to the red-head and throw an arm around his slimmer shoulders. "We were just puttin' in some late-night practice in the studio. That's all. How did the Live go?"

Gaara didn't looked doubtful. "Don't stay up too late. We have a photoshoot in the afternoon."

Naruto saluted. "Yes, boss."

He attempted to kiss Gaara on the cheek, but he got shoved away. Naruto watched him retreat into his room, mumbling to himself like a grumpy old man. He was grinning goofily when he glanced over at Sasuke, whose expression had become remarkably unreadable compared to a minute ago.

"What's with you?" He asked, going over to him, and as he stood beside the youngest, their hands brushed. Sasuke seemed to jerk away at the touch, much to his confusion.

"Maybe I'm tired, after all."

"Huh? Didn't you just say you wanted to play computer games?"

"Like Gaara said, we have a photoshoot."

"Not until the afternoon?" He frowned, confused.

Sasuke gave him a long, searching look. "Do you know you have a reputation for being the slowest?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Touching the back of his own head, Sasuke glanced away and sighed in apparent frustration. "I'll see you in the morning, Naruto."

Naruto took a step back. "Uh, okay."

He watched as Sasuke walked down the hall toward his room and went inside. Dumbstruck, Naruto could only stare after him before he realized he was standing in the middle of the hall with his mouth hanging open. He went inside his own room and slowly went about picking out some pajamas, which he threw on the bed. A pair of boxers fell onto the floor, so he picked them up and tossed them on top of the sheets. He was busy trying to figure out what had caused Sasuke's mood change. Were Sasuke and Gaara fighting or something? He hadn't heard about it, but what else could it be?

"Well, he's 21, so I know it's not that he's just goin' through puberty," Naruto muttered to himself. He gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom, where he took an unusually long shower.

By the time he was dressed, did some exercises, and got into bed, it was nearly an hour later. He checked his phone, noticing the Twitter notification that one of the members had posted. It was a still from the video, of the two of them dancing. One photo was of them doing it serious, the other was a part where Naruto had his butt up in the air, his eyes looking up at Sasuke while he smiled. They were both good pictures. Naruto scanned the comments, a lot of them in English. The fans liked to reply with various GIFs or pics or whatever. It already had a lot of likes and retweets.

Once under the covers, he hesitated at first, but then he clicked on the youngest's name and decided to write him a short text.

_Saw the pics. Good choice. Video to come later? Had fun tonight_ [kissy face emoji]

Minutes passed without a reply, but just as he was about to set the phone down, the phone vibrated with a notification.

_Sorry about earlier. More tired than I thought. Make sure to wake me up in time for the photoshoot._

_No problem_, he typed. _I don't mind being your personal alarm clock. Goodnight, youngest_

Ah, that made him feel better. Relieved somewhat, Naruto settled under the covers, his muscles already aching from tonight's impromptu dance practice. It felt a bit lonely sleeping here without Sasuke trying to take over his bed. But, maybe Sasuke was feeling like he needed space? Naruto would have to keep that in mind from now on. There were other members he should be spending time with, too. He'd spent a lot of time with Sasuke lately, and maybe Sasuke was feeling smothered? Then again, it was Sasuke who had suggested dancing together.

Or, maybe he was still worked up over the mention of Itachi during the interview? Hard to tell for sure as the youngest's moods could be unpredictable. Still, he really had fun tonight, but now it was time to sleep so his face didn't puff up to the size of a giant mochi tomorrow in time for the shoot.


	7. Scandal, Part 1

**Part VII: Scandal**

**Scene 1/2**

* * *

Bracing himself as the car door opened to a blinding mob of flashing lights, Naruto secured his mask and sunglasses as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. Security guards and his manager escorted him to the dorm. He bowed to photographers and waved goodbye to the crowd, but when he was secure inside the building, he felt a rush of relief. Only his manager stuck to his side, though he was busy answering texts on his phone.

Frankly, Naruto was exhausted. He'd just spent about 10 hours on a plane for a trip that only lasted a number of days. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and put on a movie. The other members had blown up his phone earlier in the day. Except Sasuke, who'd only sent a single message before boarding: "Are you okay?"

He'd gone on a trip for a single event—a solo ad campaign in the U.S.—for not more than three full days. One night, he went out with a couple of American friends to a bar in Los Angeles. He thought since it was a big city, it wouldn't be a huge deal. Usually he was more careful, but he'd been drinking and in a strange mood, so he struck up a conversation with locals. Some of them were, yeah, women. Not that his English was all that good anyway. He'd asked them not to upload any videos since he could end up getting swarmed by fans—but, yeah. So, an innocent night out turned into "Uzumaki Naruto of GCF is a fuckboi." Okay, maybe he was being dramatic, but their fans could be a little… possessive.

It's not that the posts or articles made him feel bad since he didn't do anything and the video doesn't _show _him doing anything - but he really hated the idea of causing his managers or bandmates any grief. Well, he didn't like the fans being upset either or getting the wrong idea. It wasn't press release worthy or anything; it was just sort of a black cloud over a relatively enjoyable trip. He hadn't visited anywhere without all or at least one of the members in over a year. Actually, it was strange to go anywhere without them, almost like an itch he needed to scratch. He worried about texting them too much through Line, so he tried to be cool this time since Gaara and Neji would make fun of him. Sasuke he hadn't heard from much, and Naruto had to try not to bombard him with texts. If he was honest, he was really looking forward to seeing his members—even if he got scolded.

After the elevator opened, Naruto and the manager who'd accompanied him, sat in the shared living area and debriefed. The management staff weren't worried about the video, so they simply talked about the contract he'd forged with a pretty big American brand. They went over tomorrow's schedule, and then the manager left. Naruto sat for all of two seconds before going into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. When he turned around, he nearly had a heart attack as he came face to face with a barefaced Sasuke. The youngest GCF member had on a black hoodie, jeans, and was wearing a pair of glasses that Naruto thought made him look like a college student.

"Jesus, Sasuke!" He held a hand to his chest. "I thought you were a ghost!"

Sasuke stood so close Naruto barely had room to shut the fridge door.

"What?" Naruto asked. "Why do you keep lookin' at me like that?"

"Why didn't you text me?"

"Excuse me?" He uncapped the bottle and was about to drink when Sasuke snatched it out of his hand. "Hey! I'm thirsty!"

"So I could tell from the video." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't tease. I'm annoyed, okay? Neji and Gaara have been teasin' me all day."

Sasuke returned the bottle to him.

"I'd think being a professional you'd know better than to flirt with fans," Sasuke scolded.

"I don't even _know_ if they were fans. They just started a conversation with me when I bumped into them on the way back from the bar."

"You could've been mobbed. You could've been hurt. You should've asked me to come."

"What?" Naruto laughed in his face. "I was fine, Sasuke. Only thing hurt is my pride."

Sasuke scowled at him. "Still doesn't explain why you texted me once the entire time you were gone."

Naruto cracked a grin and went to ruffle Sasuke's hair, but the youngest ducked away from him. He leaned against the fridge with his arms crossed.

"Did you miss me that much?" Naruto asked, slightly confused. "I was only gone a few days."

"No."

"Then… what's the problem? Next time I'll be more careful, but I didn't do anything wrong."

"I know you didn't. I saw the video. We all did."

"So why are you tryin' to make me feel guilty."

Sasuke pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm not."

"I can tell from your face that you're lyin'."

Sasuke shrugged. "Are you even going to hug me?"

"I can't tell if you want me to!" Naruto cried in exasperation, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to, but then you had to go and lecture me."

"Someone had to because the older members won't. They just think it's funny."

"But you don't?" Naruto approached, his arms out. Sasuke didn't put any effort into it, so Naruto pulled him into an embrace. He rested his chin on the youngest's shoulder.

"I was worried," Sasuke said, voice low as he spoke next to Naruto's ear. "That you'd be upset."

"Upset?" He gave Sasuke a squeeze. "I've got jet lag and I'm kinda irritable, but it's all okay."

"Doesn't it bother you that our own fans are saying shit about you? I'm mad at those girls for posting when you asked them not to."

"Our fans get excited, Sasuke. Like you said, it's to be expected. I let my guard down this one time 'cause I just thought—" Naruto nipped at the man's ear. "I wanted to not feel - "

"Famous?"

"Yeah." Naruto nuzzled the youngest's neck, sighing into his skin, which smelled like soap and Sasuke's favorite body wash. "What did you do while I was gone? Were you bored?"

"Very. Suigetsu and I played computer games. Kiba tried to get me to do a Kiba on the Street with him - "

"I saw that." Naruto let go of him, but placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "You looked cute. I couldn't watch it when you were live, but I watched it when I got into bed."

"I suck at freestyle, and he knows it."

"Nooo," Naruto bit his lip to keep from smiling too hard. "You looked good. Honestly. It was cute."

Sasuke grunted. "Whatever."

Sasuke looked so cute right then Naruto wanted to positively scream and smother him with affection. He'd apparently missed him more than he'd realized. They'd spent a lot of time together before the trip - well, no, they spent a lot of time together regardless—so, yeah it felt weird to be away. But, on the other hand, because they spent so much time together, Naruto thought it might be good for Sasuke… in a way? If that made sense.

"Naruto?" Sasuke called him.

"Huh?"

"You spaced out. You sure you're okay?"

He smiled to reassure him. "Yeah. Like I said. Jet lag."

"Don't insult me." Sasuke tugged meekly at the lapel of his jacket.

"What do you mean?"

"I know when you're lying, Naruto. I've known you a long time."

"I'm not—" He gave a heavy sigh. "I'm gonna shower. Do you wanna hang out after? Watch a movie? Order chicken? Play video games?"

"I'll have to check my schedule." Sasuke lowered his eyes, still playing with Naruto's jacket.

Naruto took hold of his hand and pushed it into a fist. "If you were _that_ worried about me, just say so."

"As if."

He laughed quietly. "Are you too old for me to call you cute? I want to pinch your cheeks. You look so much like your younger self right now. Cute when you pout."

"I'm not pouting," Sasuke protested while allowing his bottom lip to protrude. "Also, I'm tired of repeating this, but you're only two years older than me."

"Yes, well as long as we live in Japan those two years make a difference in our culture." He poked Sasuke in the stomach with his water bottle. "I'm gonna shower. Let's hang out after, but I also gotta talk to Gaara first."

"Gaara's out. He and Neji and Shikamaru."

"Where's Kiba and Suigetsu?"

"In their rooms?" Sasuke shrugged. "I just came from Suigetsu's."

"Okay, well give me, like, 30 minutes."

"Alright." He turned to go into the living room and Naruto followed. Sasuke picked up Naruto's backpack and put it on his shoulder. "I'll carry this for you."

"Sasuke… seriously." Naruto couldn't stop smiling at him. "You're bein' really cute tonight. You really did miss me, didn't you? Were you worried I'd walk in cryin' my eyes out?"

"I changed my mind. I don't want to hang out tonight." He began walking away from Naruto, up the stairs that led to three of the bedrooms (including Naruto's). Naruto chased after him.

"No, don't be like that. I'll stop callin' you cute. Will you order chicken while I shower?"

"I'll think about it."

He followed Sasuke up to his room. Sasuke dropped his bag on the floor, staying only long enough to watch Naruto yawn and stretch one last time. He looked around his room once Sasuke was gone, happy to be home again. It felt like he'd been gone weeks, not days. Even if he was forbidden from saying it, it really was cute how worried Sasuke had been about him.

And… how clingy.

Smiling, Naruto scratched at the back of his head. It was kind of unexpected. But… nice. To be missed. He should send a text to Gaara and see what time they'd be returning. Should stop in and say hey to Sui and Keebs, too. Pounce on Kiba while he was sleeping. Of course, if he did that, he'd give Naruto hell tomorrow during choreo practice. He thought about asking the other guys if they wanted to join in on the late-night chicken feasting, but… judging from Sasuke's behavior, that probably wasn't what the youngest wanted and Naruto had this feeling that what he really needed to do was smother his bandmate with attention and affection tonight.

Even if he'd never admit to it, Sasuke was still the group's _baby_, and Naruto—as the elder—needed to make sure he was happy and taken care of.


	8. Scandal, Part 2

**Part VIII: Scandal**

**Scene 2/2**

* * *

"Are you, uh, okay down there?" Naruto set his hand on Sasuke's head.

After he took a shower and they had some chicken delivered to the dorm, they crawled into his bed with the intention of watching a movie. Well, Naruto was watching it, a Taiwanese film called _Take Me to the Moon_. They'd seen it before, and Sasuke once sang a song from the OST when at a concert in Taiwan. It was one of Naruto's favorite songs, too.

However, rather than sit up next to him against the headboard, Sasuke had his face buried half in the pillow and half in Naruto's side. He had an arm wrapped snugly around Naruto's waist as if he expected Naruto to run away at any moment. The first 20 minutes, it was kind of cute because it felt like he'd been missed, but almost an hour in, Naruto was starting to get worried.

"Are you tired? Why don't you sleep?" Naruto suggested. "We can finish this another time."

"Shut up." Sasuke squeezed his middle, cool fingertips brushing under his t-shirt and touching skin. Dammit, he was ticklish there!

"Do you have a stomach ache?" Naruto asked, gently rubbing his head for him in case he wasn't feeling well. "From all the chicken you inhaled?"

"No."

"Somethin' else goin' on you wanna talk about?"

"No."

He played with Sasuke's hair. It was soft and thick. Less damaged than his since Naruto tended to dye it every few months, and Sasuke always preferred his natural black hair color. Naruto was about to interrogate him further when there was a knock at the door, and then Gaara poked his head inside without waiting for a response.

"Yo," said Naruto. "You're finally home."

"I should say the same to you." Gaara stood in the doorway, Neji peering over the shorter man's shoulder.

"Can you travel just once without getting into trouble?" Neji teased.

"Hey, it's not my fault people like to pick on me in particular!" He defended. "Like, you guys went out to drink and no one bothered you, right?"

"Yes, because we reserve private rooms," Neji replied. "We don't mingle with the common folk." The older, long-haired man smirked. "What's wrong with Sasuke? Is he dead?"

"It would seem so," Naruto answered, but then Sasuke looked over his shoulder solely just to glare at their bandmates.

"I can smell your breath from here." Sasuke pulled a face. "Did you drink everything at the bar?"

"It's very possible." Neji gracefully swept his hair over his shoulder. "Which is why I need to make some coffee. Do you want any, Naruto?"

"No, I'm good, and I'll have to hug you tomorrow 'cause I can't get this runt to move."

"This runt is taller than you," Sasuke murmured before shoving his face back into Naruto's ribs.

"Barely," he said. "By like… a few centimeters."

When Sasuke snorted, Naruto thwacked him on his back. Neji left to make his coffee, but Gaara came into the room, stared at the paused movie screen, and then came to Naruto's side of the bed. He took a seat, still watching the TV.

"Haven't you seen this before?" Gaara asked.

"A few times." He patted the bed. "Sit for a sec? Gimme some sugar. I haven't seen you in a few days."

Gaara's penciled-in eyebrow went up, though his expression remained neutral. "I think Sasuke's giving you enough attention for the both of us."

"Is that what he's doin'?" Naruto stared down at the youngest. "Did you miss me that much, Sasuke?"

"Shut up."

"See, he hasn't said much more than that in the last 45 minutes. Is that really how he shows he misses someone?"

"How should I know?" Gaara slid up next to him, their shoulders bumping. Sasuke lifted his head again, squinting and glaring at them both. "Am I interrupting your Naruto time?"

"Did you guys just neglect him while I was gone?" Naruto asked, leaning his head on Gaara's shoulder. "He's the youngest. You're supposed to take care of 'em."

"He's 21, Naruto. He's not a baby."

"What?" Naruto moved to cover Sasuke's ears. "He is so. How can you say that about him?"

Sasuke swatted his hands away. "Gaara, don't you have an interview tomorrow morning?"

"I do, but annoying you is much more fun than going to bed," Gaara replied. "You should've seen him while you were gone. All he did was mope, practice, and snap at Neji."

"Did you feed him enough? He gets cranky if you don't feed him." Naruto continued brushing fingers through Sasuke's hair.

"Again, he's 21. Not a 13-year-old trainee."

"Hmph." Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "What about you? Did you miss me?"

"You weren't gone long enough for me to miss you."

"Did you think I looked cool in the video?" Naruto asked, nudging him and ignoring the way Sasuke groaned in displeasure at being jostled.

"It was too dark to see, but it was clear you were having fun, so good for you."

"...Really? I thought you and Neji were gonna scold me."

"Neji might tomorrow, but we all agreed it wasn't that big of a deal. We were more concerned for you. The managers told us about the—"

Naruto put a hand up. "It's been handled. It wasn't serious."

"What do you mean it's not _serious_?" Sasuke asked, picking his head up again. "Death threats are serious, moron."

"Hey. I'm older than you." Naruto hit him upside the head. "How'd you know about that anyway?"

"Walls are thin," Sasuke mumbled. "I always know what's going on even when you guys don't tell me or try to hide it from me."

Naruto gave Gaara a scornful look. "Can no one keep their mouths shut around here?"

"Why are you getting mad at me? I didn't tell him. But, he's right. We all hear everything. The staff talk, and if Suigetsu finds out, you know he'll blab it to all of us. Besides, when they hire more security, I think we're going to notice, Naruto."

"It's fine. I'm fine. I can handle myself. Sasuke's been workin' out. He can protect me." He nudged Sasuke again, trying to keep his tone playful.

Sasuke looked up at them. "That's why I said you should've brought me."

"Did I mention I was gone for a few days only? Like, even I need a break once in a while, and I was still workin', so. Sorry. I'll stay locked up in my room." He pouted.

"No need to be dramatic," said Gaara. "We just have to be more careful for a while. It doesn't mean you're trapped inside the dorm unless we have a schedule."

"It's startin' to feel that way," he muttered.

"I'll go out with you," said Sasuke. "I'll stay 10 paces behind and sit at a different table."

"S-shut up," Naruto laughed at him. "Like you'd do somethin' as ridiculous as that. What would your fangirls say?"

"Most of my fangirls ship me with you, so I think they'd be pleased." Sasuke smirked, but Naruto nearly choked on his own spit. His face started to burn.

Gaara chuckled, and Naruto smacked him in the chest. "Don't encourage him."

"Why? He's not wrong," Gaara replied. "What's your ship called again?"

"Cut it out," he said.

"It depends on who they want to top," Sasuke answered.

"Jesus Christ!" Naruto threw his hands up in the air and wanted to roll over, but he was trapped on either side, so he just sat there, trying to hide his face behind an arm.

"Oh, so the thought of you and me is that disgusting?" Sasuke asked mockingly.

"What—I didn't, wait a sec—"

Gaara laughed again. "Alright. I think this is where I'll make my exit. We can talk about it at a house meeting tomorrow. I think we should. Go out to dinner, maybe. All of us."

"...Alright," he said hesitantly, watching with some guilt as Gaara stood from the bed and stretched. "Did you get any work done while I was gone?"

"Since you were gone, I got plenty done," Gaara answered.

"Hmph."

"Goodnight, Naruto. Goodnight, Sasuke."

Sasuke grunted in response, tucking himself under Naruto's armpit—arm draped across Naruto's thighs and a hand latched onto his hip.

"Do we need to have a talk?" Naruto asked quietly, growing concerned.

"About what?"

"This."

"What's 'this'?"

"I dunno. You're just… actin' weird."

Sasuke looked up again. "If you want me to get out just say so."

Naruto scowled. "I didn't say that. I was just concerned—"

"Maybe you should be more concerned about yourself than me. I'm not the one receiving death threats just because you did something normal."

"Sasuke—"

"No, I've heard this already. It's serious, and you need to understand."

Sasuke's gaze was fierce and demanding, so much so that any further argument died on Naruto's tongue. He didn't like worrying the people he cared about and Sasuke could be just as stubborn as him when he wanted. Not to mention something about his tone made Naruto momentarily forget there was an age difference between them.

Sasuke pulled himself up and sat cross-legged beside him. "Don't just stare at me. Tell me you'll think about it."

"What am I thinkin' about exactly?" He wet his lips, feeling nervous for some reason.

"Reflect a little about how serious the situation could've been. In fact, a death threat is serious, whether it turns out to be fake or not. Maybe we're too lenient with fans."

"One bad fan doesn't mean the rest are all like that."

"It's not the first time," Sasuke argued. "Every time you show your face in public and so much as blink at some random woman, they all go crazy—"

"Sasuke, it's unrealistic. I can't… control any of that, but we can talk about it tomorrow like Gaara said. I'll just kinda hide my face for a while. Although that'll probably worry fans—"

"Stop putting them ahead of you!" Sasuke snapped. "Think about yourself for once, you idiot! The way you gave up eating just to have a perfect body you thought they'd like. We should've created boundaries with them instead of fueling this fantasy that we're all in some romantic relationship together. They think they have a chance with you. They think they own you."

"... Why are you getting so worked up about this? It's happening to _me_."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean? Like you'd sit here quiet if it was happening to me?"

"No, of course not. I'd find that bitch and have some words."

"Then why should I be any different?"

"Because—" He stopped, unsure how he wanted to phrase it. "Because—"

Sasuke's eyebrows drew up in anticipation. "'Because'?"

"It's… just different. You'd understand if you were—"

"If you say 'older', I am going to deck you."

"Why? I'm used to feeling like I have to protect you."

"I'm not a kid, and anyway, we can look out for each other! I'm bigger than you—"

"Hey, not that much bigger, but I mean… muscles, yeah… well…"

"Stop treating me like a baby," Sasuke complained. "I'm not. I'm your bandmate. I'm your friend, and I've got your back, so stop acting like—"

Naruto's heart was beating hard under his ribcage. He hadn't seen Sasuke this worked up in a long while, and he couldn't explain why it was getting his adrenaline going. It didn't help, too, that Sasuke kept staring at him with the most intense expression he'd seen on him. Except maybe on stage. When had Uchiha Sasuke grown up this much? When had he suddenly become so reliable? Was it possible to let go of some of this control, and… open up more to Sasuke in the same way he did with the older members? Not to say he and Sasuke didn't share a lot, that they weren't close, but he never wanted to worry the youngest.

"Stop acting like what?" He asked, voice low and scratchy.

"Like you can't rely on me for these types of things. I can take care of you."

The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched. "Sasuke," he teased. "That sounds like a proposal."

"Stop making jokes."

"Stop scolding me like I'm a child!"

"Then stop acting like a child!"

"I'm not—" He took in a deep breath. "You were much cuter when you were cuddlin' into my side. Now you're all—" Naruto scrunched his nose. "Aggressive."

"Because you're oblivious, so this is the only way I know how to get through to you."

"I… I'm not… okay, well maybe, but… it's complicated. Now I know how you feel, so I'll keep that in mind… just… give me some time, okay?"

"Okay."

Naruto smiled. "That easy?"

"As long as you aren't just telling me what I want to hear."

"I'm not."

"Good, because I'd like to think you—out of all people—wouldn't lie to me." He grabbed for a piece of Naruto's hair and—with a look of fondness—gave it a tug before tucking it behind Naruto's ear. He swallowed hard at the gesture. "Why do you look nervous?"

Sasuke's eyes were searching his, and Naruto couldn't seem to come up with a reason for why he did feel anxious. The way Sasuke kept looking at him, his voice, his whole attitude. The way he was demanding that Naruto treat him as an equal. It was… new. And… exciting? Weird.

"Stop staring at me like that," said Sasuke.

"Like what?" Naruto whispered.

Sasuke's hand slid slowly down Naruto's bicep to his forearm. "Don't talk like that either."

"Like what?" The hair on his arms where Sasuke had touched were standing straight up.

"Naruto…" Sasuke's gaze, which had been watching the rise in goosebumps across his arm, rose slowly to meet Naruto's. "Why are you so dense?"

"Dense?" He used that same arm to give Sasuke a shove in the chest. "I'm not dense!"

Sasuke sighed. "You are. Very dense. The dumbest of the members. Clearly."

"Hey! Just 'cause I suck at math—"

"That's not it."

Naruto placed his hand to Sasuke's chest, noticing the way he could feel the younger man's heartbeat. It was… beating fast.

"Why's your heart beating so fast?" He asked.

"I wonder." Sasuke gave a heavy sigh. "I'm surprised you can't hear it."

"How could I possibly hear your _heartbeat_?" He asked, laughing.

"Because it's going about 850 beats per minute."

"That's not even humanly possible," Naruto replied.

"Obviously." Sasuke, eyes lowering, grabbed for Naruto's hand and interlaced their fingers, placing his thumb on top of Naruto's—caressing it.

"I don't know what to do when my Sasuke's so soft," Naruto mumbled, mostly to himself. "I'm not used to you bein' like this… I gotta get used to it."

"I'm always soft with you in particular," Sasuke replied, pushing his thumb down harder. "You should know that by now. Everyone else does."

Naruto's cheeks flushed even if he didn't fully understand why those words made him feel embarrassed (and also very pleased).

"I'll… try to be less dense from now on."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Sasuke responded. "Do you want to sleep alone tonight?"

"Not in particular," he said, almost too fast to be cool, but Sasuke didn't make fun of him.

"I wasn't going to let you anyway. Someone has to protect you in case some psycho breaks into your room and tries to have their way with you."

"Heh. I mean… not that I'm really worried about that, but yeah… after bein' alone in a hotel room for a few days… it was kinda weird not havin' you around to take up most of my bed."

"You're saying you missed me?" Sasuke asked, readjusting his grip on Naruto's hand.

"Duh. Clearly I did…. I didn't text you 'cause I was just… thought you'd be annoyed if I texted you every 20 minutes to see what you were up to."

"I would've been… but I would've replied… some of the time."

"Next time I will then." Naruto lifted their joined hands, wrestling Sasuke's thumb a bit but allowing the youngest to finally pin his hand to the bed.

"Tell me you missed me more than all the other members," Sasuke said, being sassy.

"Like I'm gonna say that out loud in case you're recordin' me and gonna use it for blackmail."

"Hn. Sounds like something I'd do. I already know the truth anyway."

"Oh, do you?" He flopped his hand underneath Sasuke's, but Sasuke kept it pressed firmly to the bed.

"Of course. Everyone knows I'm your favorite."

"Did you read one too many fanfics while I was gone?" He teased.

"Ah, did you find out about my secret fan account already?"

Naruto barked out a laugh. "You probably write them."

"I do, but it's usually about myself and Gaara."

"Oh bleck, as if. Gross. I just ate, Sasuke."

Sasuke laughed, loud and genuine. It made Naruto smile.

"It's good you have hobbies outside of GCF," Naruto said, smile on his face still.

"I'll let you read one some time."

"Alright, alright. You're takin' it too far. I'm tired, remember? I was in a plane for, like, 11 hours."

"Sure, run away from this conversation with the excuse that you're tired."

"I'm not—" Naruto threw himself on his side of the bed. "M'not gonna dignify that with a response. Just lay down already and scratch my arm 'til I fall asleep."

Sasuke obediently snuggled up beside him, but instead of scratching Naruto's arm, put his own arm out. Naruto scoffed, but he ended up scratching it for the youngest anyway.

"See," he said. "You _are _a baby."

"Shut up."

"Heh. Missed you, Sasuke," he sing-songed.

"Of course you did, idiot. And I… missed you, too."


	9. All Apologies

a/n: happy birthday to Naruto! happy almost birthday to Jimin.

1\. I REALLY wish I could say "hyung"  
2\. I REALLY wish I could say maknae

Thanks for reading.

* * *

_**Part IX: All Apologies**_

* * *

It was early in the morning, and Naruto hadn't slept much. He'd been staring into space for the past 10 minutes after pouring himself a bowl of non-sweet cereal.

"Yo," Suigetsu, startling him, came up from behind and playfully slapped his back. "Why are y'up this early, Naruto? Don't you usually sleep late?"

Naruto glared half-heartedly—only one eye cracked open—while stuffing a spoonful of bran flakes into his mouth. "N'mph gur biz diss."

"Woah, bro, just askin'. I fell asleep early last night." The second youngest GCF member stretched his arms over his head, sending Naruto a toothy, mischievous grin. "Up late watchin' porn?" He waggled his eyebrows. "That's why that computer's always got viruses."

"No, I was _not_ watching porn," Naruto replied. "I was—" He sighed and then scrubbed his hand through his messy hair. "It's nothin'. Just didn't sleep well."

"Is this 'cause you and Sasuke are fightin'?"

"What? Who said we were fighting?" He dumped out the rest of his cereal into the garbage disposal, no longer hungry. "I just said I couldn't sleep. That's all. It happens."

"You've been avoidin' each other for, like, the past week and a half. I know this 'cause, uh, he's been sleepin' in my room and actually wants to hang out with me when normally he'd rather be cooped up in his room editin' his videos or covering some sad, emo song—"

"—Wait. Did Sasuke say we were fighting?"

Suigetsu shrugged. "Do you think Sasuke would tell me that? So, you _are_ fightin'?"

"I didn't say that!" Naruto rubbed at his temple in frustration. "I'm just… just givin' Sasuke some space. Or, well, I'm givin' _myself_ some space? I'm not sure. Can't I have space?"

"Uh. No. You're, like, the most co-dependent member of GCF."

"What?" He nearly shrieked. "I am _not_!"

"You _literally_ said as much in that docu-series? Like, you said 'I think we should share rooms even on tour because I cry without my members'."

"First of all, I had about four bottles of soju and don't remember sayin' that at all. Staff were the ones who told me I said that."

"Ah, okay. Sure. So, you realize that if this keeps goin' on, Shikamaru and Gaara are gonna wanna bring it up at a group meeting? And they're gonna make you and Sasuke talk it out alone and force you to go outside and hold hands until you're your usual bromantic selves."

"Shut up." Naruto slung an arm around Suigetsu and put him in a headlock. "Why are you like this, huh?" He noogied him. "Don't you need to go play _Overwatch_ with the other 12-year-olds?"

"I did already. That's all I did yesterday until I passed out with my headphones and mic on and woke up to some girl on my team complainin' about me snorin'."

Naruto sighed. "Playin' video games 24/7 is gonna make your brain rot, Sui."

"Ah, is that what happened to _you_?" He shoved Naruto off. "Why don't you two kiss and make up already? I'm not used to Sasuke bein' all clingy with me. S'freakin' me out."

"Tell him yourself if he's annoying you."

"Yeah, right. You think I'm gonna tell muscle pig Uchiha Sasuke that he's annoying? Do you want me to be _killed_? I can't be killed, I just renewed my contract with my drama series!"

Naruto gave him an unbothered look. "You guys all know that Sasuke and I aren't, like, attached at the hip? We're separate people? We do separate things? Have separate friends outside of GCF?"

"Could've fooled me," Suigetsu muttered. "I'm just sayin'. I think you should talk to him. You're older, so, y'know. Be the mature one. I dunno what's goin' on, but I'm surprised you're bein' like this. Weren't you two inseparable after you got back from LA? Did somethin' happen in the last two weeks? Did he make fun of you for pushin' your hair back a million times on the last V-Live?"

He groaned, and as if all it took was the mere suggestion of it, almost ran a hand through his hair but stopped short when Suigetsu pointed a finger in his face and busted out laughing. Naruto smacked his hand away.

"As shitty as that trip turned out to be, I swear m'gonna need another one soon with how all of you like to stick your nose in my business." He pinched his bandmate by the ear, pulling him so close that his lips grazed the shell. "If I didn't know any better, Sui-ge-tsu, I'd say you sounded a little jealous." Naruto snatched hold of the younger man's hair and tipped his head up with a slight tug, whispering: "But, who are you more jealous of, huh? _Me_ or Sasuke?"

He was being playful, bursting into a fit of manly giggles while Suigetsu struggled to shove him away. They horsed around for several minutes until Naruto glanced up and spotted Neji and Sasuke standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at them—body positions mirroring one another as both dark-haired men eyed them with deep frowns and arms crossed to their chests. With a cough, Naruto was first to draw away, but Suigetsu continued to chase and jump on him. He clung to Naruto like a kid, hanging off one of his shoulders. Only when Sasuke cleared his throat did Suigetsu notice them. But even Sasuke's sharp glare wasn't enough to scare Suigetsu into disentangling his long limbs from Naruto's. Sensing the tension, however, Naruto did withdraw from Suigetu's hold and, after a mumbled "good morning" returned to washing his dishes.

"You're up early," Neji said. "Especially since I swear I heard you shuffling around until 4 a.m."

"Sorry," he replied. "Thought I was bein' quiet. There's some coffee in the pot if you want some."

Meanwhile, Sasuke remained silent as he slid between himself and Suigetsu in order to retrieve a spoon from the silverware drawer. He found the box of bran cereal, poured himself a bowl, and retreated into the living space without a single word of greeting. Guiltily, Naruto watched his retreating back while scratching at the base of his skull. When he glanced at the other members, he noticed the way Neji and Suigetsu were both staring at him expectantly.

"What?" He asked.

Neji merely shook his head as he moved to pour himself a mug of coffee.

"Man, what the hell did you do?" Suigetsu whispered.

Naruto shrugged—because, honestly. He didn't know. In fact, it would've been impossible for him to have done anything because, like he told Suigetsu, he'd given Sasuke lots of space lately. He wasn't going out of his way to ignore him exactly, it's just that when normally they'd hang out in the late hours of the evening, he'd decided, instead, to put more effort into dance practice or working on the melody of a new song he'd been writing (while pestering Shikamaru to help him with English lyrics). Finally, Suigetsu gave an exasperated sigh before disappearing from the kitchen. A few seconds later, they could hear Sasuke loudly cursing and then there was a yelp out of Suigetsu. It sounded like the two youngest members were now engaging in an impromptu wrestling match. Neji, on the other hand, leaned coolly against the counter, eyes never leaving Naruto's. He wore a white bathrobe, hair dampened from a shower.

"What's really going on, Naruto?" Neji asked when they were alone. "No bullshit either. Sasuke's been like this for," he counted on his fingers, "At least seven days. You're not riding in the same car to events, you're barely speaking to one another and, if I didn't know better I'd say you've been sleeping in your own beds for the first time in five years."

"I don't get why you're all bein' so dramatic just 'cause Sasuke and I aren't glued together these days. Like, he's not a little kid who comes cryin' to me about bein' homesick anymore. He's 22. He should be out hangin' with his own friends, doin' whatever normal 22-year-olds do—"

"Since when are any of us 'normal'?" Neji scoffed. "Sasuke joined GCF at a young age, before he even knew who he was, and we're big enough now that it will never be normal for him or any of us again. We can't just take a stroll down the street or pop out of the dorm without letting some PD know where we're headed. What's the real reason behind all this drama lately?"

"How the hell should _I _know?" Naruto blurted.

Sasuke was intelligent, taller and bigger than him, and perfectly capable of taking care of himself. They all knew there were times Sasuke needed to pull away and recharge, especially after coming off from touring. Another month and Sasuke would be more himself since they would need to begin working on their next comeback. In fact, it was likely Sasuke was already working on his own songs, just like Naruto. But, why though, didn't anyone believe him?

Predictably, Neji shot him a look of disappointment.

"We'll give you a week to sort this out on your own before the older members get involved. Don't think Gaara and Shikamaru haven't noticed. They have."

"Is that some kind of threat?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Does it need to be?" Neji replied while calmly combing his fingers through his hair.

Naruto sighed, averting his gaze. "I get it. I'll have a talk with him later, but can I at least, like, work out and shower first? Brush my teeth?"

Neji shrugged, lingering near the doorway. He glanced toward the still wrestling members currently rolling around and grunting on the carpet.

"Like I said," Neji kept his voice quiet, "You've got a week to get your head out of your ass."

After the older member left, Naruto stared down at his bare feet, mulling over his feelings: irritation, guilt, frustration… shame. In giving Sasuke space, he hadn't meant to hurt the youngest's feelings. That was the last thing he wanted to do because—to him—Sasuke was…

Sasuke was…

No, it was too cliche to say aloud.

But, to him, Sasuke was—

He shut his eyes, heartbeat loud in his ears. Naruto placed a hand to his chest as if it could stifle the sound somehow. He missed Sasuke. He missed talking to him about everything and nothing late into the night or sneaking off to a practice room to do dance covers or share an Airpod with him as they harmonized together or laughed at stupid Youtube videos. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but maybe it hadn't just been about what he thought was good for Sasuke. Maybe it was… something else.

Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair once again only to curse when he realized he was doing it. On his way out of the kitchen, Naruto saw that Suigetsu and Sasuke finished fighting and had decided to sit peacefully in front of the TV, watching some anime series at an unacceptable volume. He passed the sofa and only when he snatched the remote to turn the sound down did Sasuke look up at him. There was a question in his eyes.

"Are you free later?" Naruto asked. "I mean, later tonight? I've got some stuff to do, gonna work out and then shower—"

"Do you need a partner?"

"What?" Naruto blinked at him.

"A workout partner," Sasuke clarified.

"Oh… no." Naruto offered a small, hesitant smile. "I think Kiba's already down there, so—"

"Fine." Sasuke returned to watching the screen. "Enjoy your workout."

Normally Naruto would've argued with him further about acting like a spoiled, disrespectful brat, but it didn't seem worth it. Rather, he headed for his bedroom so that he could change into his workout clothes. On his way back—and as he passed the living area again—no further words were exchanged between he and Sasuke as he took the elevator down to the gym.

* * *

"You're bein' really quiet today," Kiba mentioned lightly while they were side by side, lifting medicine balls in front of a giant mirror. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Did Neji already get to you?"

"Gaara," Kiba replied. "But I'm also just askin' 'cause I'm worried about you. And Sasuke."

"I told Sasuke I wanted to talk later I'll take care of it."

"Real talk, though. Just between you and me. Did he do somethin' to piss you off?"

"No," Naruto answered immediately. "No, he didn't do anything. Or, well—" He sighed as he set down the medicine ball, his thigh and calf muscles burning.

Kiba tilted his head. "So he _did _do somethin'?"

"I just feel like Sasuke should be makin' friends with other idols his age?" He scratched nervously at the back of his head.

"Is it that or are you sayin' you feel smothered by him?"

"No—it's not that!" Naruto heard the defensiveness in his own voice and lowered his tone. "Sorry. No. I love hangin' out with Sasuke. I mean we all need our alone time, especially Sasuke. I know we hang out a lot, but, like… how do I put it?"

Kiba looked at him, confused. "I mean, I can take a guess, but you're not givin' me a lot to work with here. I mean, you two haven't avoided each other like this since back in the day when you two were all weirdly awkward together in front of a camera?"

"That was 'cause the dumb concepts they gave us in the beginning made us be awkard in front of a camera and then it bled over into real life."

"Really? I thought it was because you both finally matured aka went through puberty?"

"Oh, shut up." Naruto fanned himself with the hem of his shirt, revealing a hint of his toned stomach. "Maybe I feel like… not to say I think Sasuke is codependent—"

"I'm fine with saying that," Kiba interrupted. "Only with you, though. 'Cause you baby him."

"I guess that's why I'm tryin' to put some distance there, but I kinda fucked it all up. It's not like I intentionally planned to do it this way. I really was busy or tired, so when he asked if I wanted to stay up and watch a movie or mess around in the practice room, I kept sayin' no until he stopped askin', and that led to him thinkin' I was mad at him, and now all he does is snap at me if I say anything."

"I get all that," Kiba said. "But you're older. And you know how Sasuke is."

"See, that's the thing!" Naruto scowled at him. "I mean, I love Sasuke. I _love _Sasuke. But you're right. I've spoiled him. It's my problem, I'll fix it. I promise."

"I think Sasuke can take constructive criticism. He just doesn't get why you're ignoring him. You of all people. I mean, everyone knows how he feels about you, Naruto."

Naruto sat down on the carpet, crossing his legs under him. "...What do you mean?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"He's always followed you around like a puppy. C'mon. He looks up to you, admires you. He probably thinks he did somethin' to make you mad."

"Yeah, but is it really okay for me to be the one always fixin' things whenever he feels like throwing a tantrum?"

"Maybe in his eyes you're the one throwing a tantrum?"

"Very funny. I still talk to him—we just don't do as much together lately. Before that, we were together all the time."

"If you don't like how much time you spend together. Tell him?" Kiba suggested as he went to stand in front of one of the fans. "If you want him to spend time with other members or even to go find other idols to play with—tell him, dude. You gotta. Or it's gonna start affecting the whole group. It already is in some ways."

"No, I love spendin' time with Sasuke. That's the problem. Or, not really a problem, but I don't want him to feel like just 'cause we aren't together 24/7, that doesn't mean I'm mad, and he could use that time to hang out with other idols from his birth year." Naruto played with the waistband of his shorts, tightening up the knotted drawstring. "Maybe I don't know what he needs? I just feel like I'm keepin' him from somethin'. I'm not meaning to keep him handcuffed to my side, but—doesn't he get bored of me?"

"Obviously not," Kiba laughed aloud as he started his cool-down stretches. "I'm still not entirely sure why you thought ignoring him would make him realize he should go play with others."

"Hey, I really wasn't intentionally ignoring him," he argued. "You know I was busy and then he gets huffy if I say no more than three times in a row."

"See, you've spoiled him. You've ruined him. Just have a talk with him about boundaries? It's fine for you to have you time."

He groaned. "Stop sayin' it like that. I never get tired of Sasuke. It's that I want him to feel like there's a world outside of GCF. That he can have friends outside of us."

"Is there even time for us to consider a world outside of the group?"

Naruto sighed. "_We_ were older when we joined the group. Sasuke was a baby. He didn't get to have experiences like we did. It's almost like we're all he's known for most of his life."

"Isn't that Sasuke's choice?" Kiba voiced, rolling up his sleeves past his shoulders.

Naruto gave up on his crunches and just lay on the carpet. He threw one arm over his eyes. "I guess after the thing in LA, I felt like… I should feel guilty for wanting to have a social life, and that's not fair. I know we signed up for this, but that's too drastic, and I can take it 'cause it's me, but I don't want the same to happen with Sasuke."

"So your solution is to let him figure it out on his own?" Kiba took a seat next to him, his legs crossed. He drank from his water bottle and then handed it to Naruto, nudging his jaw with it.

Naruto took it, but without drinking. "No, we'll talk about it tonight. It's also a bit more complicated than that. There's somethin' management told me."

"Who? About what?" Kiba asked, lowering his voice in case staff were listening.

"It has to do with my, you know, stalker. It's really dumb, but I guess what they told me about it, stuff the police reported to them… I don't know. Maybe that has something to do with it, too."

"What do you mean?" Kiba shifted even closer and lifted Naruto's arm off of his face. "What the hell's goin' on, Naruto? Is it really that serious?"

"Not serious exactly, just somethin' they said made me feel like—"

"—Did all that have anything to do with Sasuke?"

Naruto blinked at him but didn't answer.

"Ew," said Kiba. "Is this a crazy stalker fan kinda scenario? And it has to do with Sasuke somehow, and because of that… you've been… avoiding him and wanting to hang out with… anyone besides you. Ah… I won't ask for details, but I take it the older members don't know then because Neji and Gaara have been—"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I get why they're like that, but they don't know everything. It wasn't relevant to them, and I wasn't asked to do anything special by the managers. I just… decided on my own… or unconsciously… but no, it's not fair to Sasuke."

"He'd understand if you said you were only protecting him," Kiba reassured. "Now I'm worried. Should I be worried?"

"No," Naruto mumbled. "This is why I didn't wanna tell anyone. Maybe I've had a lot on my mind—"

"Uh, yeah. Understandable. I'll have a talk with the others and tell them to get off your back, or if you wanna call a house meeting to talk—"

"Let me talk to Sasuke first, and I should talk to the other members, too."

"You know, Naruto. We're all used to goin' to you when we're havin' issues. But, when you're goin' through more than you can handle, you do tend to push others away. You should be able to have someone to go to, y'know. You bottle it all up, and this happens."

"I know…" Naruto played with the hem of his shirt again, folding and unfolding it. "I do feel guilty. I _do _talk to Sasuke, but he's young. He's got his own shit. I always feel like I'm burdening him if I talk to him about the super dark or serious stuff."

"I'm sure he can sense that," Kiba replied. "And I don't think he likes it."

"He's the youngest," Naruto explained. "Would you unload on him?"

"Honestly?" Kiba stretched his legs out in front of him. "Probably not, but while I love Sasuke, he and I don't have the same relationship you and I do. We both talk about a lot of shit, but Sasuke's more introverted. He keeps stuff close to the vest."

"He does… but less than before. He's opened up to me a lot more in the past six months."

"Oh?" Kiba smirked. "Maybe he's got a crush on you."

Naruto's cheeks flushed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Ah, okay. You've got a crush on him. That's so adorable. What will the fangirls say?"

"A lot. At least according to my last stalker."

"Ah, right." Kiba scrunched his nose. "Our fans are everything to us, but there are some bad apples, and, y'know, the way the industry is set up, it's difficult to set boundaries."

"Yeah. The tiniest thing in the news or on Twitter or YouTube and some controversy starts trending and then the fans fight amongst each other."

"Mm." Kiba nodded. "Well, I know you have a lot to think about, so why don't we get back to the workout. You can try to get some of your stress out. You'll feel better after you talk with Sasuke. You just gotta be straight-forward with him. As much as you can."

"I know. Sasuke can sniff out bullshit from a mile away." He sat up, swiping a hand through his hair before getting to his feet.

"He certainly can," Kiba agreed and, despite being sweaty, the older member pulled Naruto into a hug. "I hope you always feel like you can come to me when you need to talk. We're not roommates anymore, but I always wanna listen. Don't carry this all by yourself."

Naruto wrapped his arms around Kiba, squeezing him tightly and patting his back. "Thanks, Kiba. Maybe we should be roommates again, huh? I liked our late night chats."

"Tch. But then Sasuke would sneak in at night, too, and I'd have to listen to the two of you gigglin' like school girls all night."

"We do not _giggle like school girls_," Naruto defended, giving Kiba a push.

"It's cute." Kiba smiled at him, fixing a piece of Naruto's hair for him. "I think you're both cute, that's why it's sad that the two of you are on the outs right now. It's made the dorm too quiet, and the way Suigetsu and Sasuke wrestle around, they're gonna break the TV soon."

"They are cute," Naruto agreed, smiling fondly. "I probably haven't been payin' as much attention to Sui lately either. I should schedule dates with all the members."

"Maybe just the youngest ones. They need special attention."

"Technically I'm only older than Sui by three months."

"Still." Kiba booped him on the nose. "Alright, back to work. The trainer keeps givin' us the stink eye. I guess a 10 minute break is too much to ask for, huh?"

Naruto laughed. "Even five minutes is too much to ask for."

"Alright, well. Good luck, and let me know if you need anything else."

"Okay. I'll let the others know some of the stuff that's been goin' on. But—Sasuke first."

"Sasuke first." Kiba nodded. "Why am I not surprised?"

Naruto smacked him in the arm. "Shut up."

"It's fine. I already know he's your favorite. I'm not even jealous anymore."

"C'mon, Kiba." Naruto slung an arm around his friend's shoulders. "You're all my favorites."

"Sure," said Kiba, "Just don't let Sasuke hear you say that."

* * *

After he finished his workout, Naruto went upstairs to shower and get dressed. He stopped by Gaara's room to harass him some and was informed Suigetsu and Sasuke went out somewhere—shopping presumably, which was odd because Sasuke hated shopping and if he ever needed anything, he'd buy stuff online.

"That's good right," Naruto had said. "That those two are gettin' out?"

Gaara gave him a look, shrugged, and shooed Naruto out since he was busy working. Since he had some downtime, he used it to clean his room, call his dad, and even sit around and re-read a favorite volume of _One Piece (_as a kid, Zoro was the reason he'd wanted to be the best sword fighter in the world one day_)_. Somewhere amidst his obviously hectic schedule, Naruto ended up passing out. When he awoke again, it was almost 5 p.m. The crazy thing was, none of the members nor the staff disturbed him at all. That was the most sleep he'd had in weeks, but it left him feeling anxious. There wasn't anything major he'd scheduled for today. Once he was sitting on the edge of his bed, he scrolled through the members' private feeds (Suigetsu had posted a pic of he and Sasuke—Sasuke looked miserable as he sat on the couch in an empty department store while Sui grinned at the camera and held up a peace sign). Naruto smirked and kept scrolling. He responded to any important messages, including one from Sasuke.

_I'll be home at six if you still want to talk_

Naruto texted him back:_ I just woke up from a nap. I'll be here._

He sent it off and added:_ Did you eat yet?_

There was no reply, so Naruto fiddled with his phone and then tossed it onto the bed. He put his manga away on the bookshelf. When a text notification sound went off, he picked up his phone again to read the new message from Sasuke.

_Not since earlier. We're stuck in heavy traffic. Suigetsu is getting on my nerves._

_Do you want me to order something?_

_Why are you suddenly being so nice after weeks of ignoring me?_

Naruto sighed. _Do you want food or not?_

_Fine. Whatever you decide is fine. You know what I like._

_Great. See you soon. Play nice with Suigetsu._

Sasuke sent back the middle finger emoji.

Naruto chuckled. "Cute."

Well, the least he could do was order all the things he knew Sasuke liked, and if their conversation went smoothly enough, a couple of sake bottles to round out the meal wouldn't hurt. He knew he was the one who had instigated this weird pause between them, yet he felt relief they were going to sit down and have an honest conversation.

But, the more he thought about it, how was he going to phrase everything and would it really be okay to share every detail with Sasuke? What if it made him worry? What if hearing it caused additional tension or awkwardness between them?

It was Sasuke, though. And Sasuke could surprise him at times. Maybe he'd understand where he was coming from, even if it made him upset.

There was no point in trying to overanalyze more than he already had—he'd already spent two weeks doing just that. But what he _could _do was start putting in all of the delivery orders. Because, why eat from one place when he could get a whole buffet of food from all of Sasuke's favorite restaurants?

No, he definitely wasn't trying to butter up the youngest. No, not at all.

* * *

Sasuke must've been right about traffic, because by the time Naruto set up his room with a large table that could accommodate all of the food he'd ordered, it was already half past six. When he finished setting everything up, Naruto put on some sweats and a loose white t-shirt before flopping onto his bed with another manga volume. Maybe 10 minutes later there was a knock on his door. He answered and Sasuke stood in the doorway, looking slightly frazzled and a bit irritated.

"Have fun?" Naruto asked, smirking.

"About as much fun as going to the dentist." Sasuke took in the whole table of food, but remained in the doorway. "What's all this?"

"Couldn't decide on one place, so I got stuff from everywhere."

Sasuke looked at him suspiciously. "What're you up to, Naruto?"

"I'm hungry. Thought you'd be, too."

"...Alright. I'm going to change and wash my face. I'll be right back."

Naruto returned to his manga. "No rush. I'll be here."

When he glanced up 15 seconds later, Sasuke was still standing there.

"What?" He asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing. I'll be right back."

Naruto let it go at that. He knew what Sasuke was feeling, which only made the guilt grow, but he was going to fix it. He had been in the wrong for avoiding Sasuke without talking to him about it. He knew nothing came of ignoring him, and as an "older brother", Naruto shouldn't have put the youngest in such a position.

Another 10 minutes passed—Naruto immersed in the story despite having read it multiple times—before Sasuke returned, sneaking inside his room without knocking (not that Naruto minded). He kept his eyes on the page he was on as Sasuke shut the door behind him, stopped to look at all of the food, and then came to stand by Naruto's bed.

Naruto looked up at him from over the frames of his glasses. "Not gonna show me what you bought while out with Suigetsu?"

Sasuke had changed into some loose black pants and a black t-shirt. He didn't answer and, instead, took the manga from Naruto, scanned the pages, and gave it back to him.

"What's going on," Sasuke murmured. "Why'd you have all of my favorite food delivered?"

Naruto set the book aside and sat up in bed, legs crossed underneath him. "I had a talk with Kiba today. Or, well. That's not it. How should I start?" He scratched at the back of his head, ruffling his hair. "I want to say I'm sorry about the past two weeks. I won't make excuses, but there are reasons for it, and… I want to talk about it."

"Reasons?" Sasuke asked, dragging a knee onto the bed. "What kind of reasons would make you stop talking to me for two weeks?"

"Maybe we should eat first," Naruto suggested. "Then we can talk. Is that okay?"

Sasuke shrugged. "You're the one who planned all this. Does my opinion even count?"

"Of course it does," Naruto said softly. "It's nothing you did. It's…" He sighed. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I really am. I should've handled this way better. I understand if you're mad at me."

"I wasn't mad—" Sasuke blurted and stopped himself. He sighed heavily, glanced away and raked a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. "Okay, I was mad." His eyes were on Naruto's again. "That wasn't fair. That… that _hurt_, Naruto."

"I know." Naruto nodded, swallowing as he took in that hurt look on Sasuke's face. He deserved it though it broke his heart. "I'm stupid. I do stupid shit sometimes."

"Tell me something I don't know," Sasuke mumbled, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants. He looked like a little kid right then, the Sasuke he remembered meeting in that practice room for the first time. It took all his willpower not to grab Sasuke's sleeve and tug him down into bed so Naruto could cuddle him and stroke his hair.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" He asked. "Do you want to flick me in the forehead with your finger? Want to take an embarrassing selca of me and post it on Twitter?"

Sasuke smirked. "You'd let me?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Not like you've ever asked my permission before."

"Tch. I never post anything without asking you first. Except on your birthday."

"Heh. Well. That's 'cause it's become culture around here."

"Yeah, you started it," Sasuke said, finally crawling onto the bed but keeping distance between them. "You're the reason we always have cake and everyone sings."

"Birthdays are important." Naruto touched his foot to Sasuke's knee, pushing at him. "I… really am sorry, Sasuke. I acknowledge I handled this poorly. You're like family to me, … a best friend, you mean a lot to me, that wasn't how you deserved to be treated."

"So, what? What happened? If it wasn't something I did, then—"

"Let's eat first." He smiled at him. "Then we'll talk. I promise. I have all night reserved just for this, but let me feed you first. There's a lot I need to make up for."

"Don't think ordering all my favorite food is gonna make up for treating me like that."

"I know. It's only a start," Naruto replied. "Pretty soon, with the amount of apologizin' I'll be doin' over the next few weeks, you're gonna get tired of me."

"Ah, I see." Sasuke's smile was small but genuine. "Then I'll be wishing you were still giving me the silent treatment?"

Naruto flinched, grabbing for the back of his neck and rubbing it. "I'll never do that again, I swear. If I ever do anything like that again, you have my permission to shake me 'til I come to my senses."

"Alright, Naruto. I forgive you. But I still want an explanation after we eat."

Naruto held his hand over his heart. "I will," he said. "Promise."

* * *

They were sitting across from each other, full from devouring nearly everything Naruto had ordered. He picked up the second bottle of sake they'd opened and poured some more for Sasuke before pouring it into his own glass.

"God, now people are gonna think I'm a mess 'cause of that docuseries," Naruto was saying, cheeks flushed and warm from the alcohol. "Kiba was makin' fun of me earlier."

"I remember that conversation." Sasuke smirked, cheeks also tinted slightly pink. When Sasuke drank, he tended to get pretty chatty and even philosophical. Sasuke drunk reminded him a lot of Shikamaru sober. "'Ah, my group. I love my group so much!'"

"Ah!" Naruto threw a napkin at him. "I didn't say that. You said that makin' fun of me."

"Please, that's how you sound every time we go out and get drunk."

"What's wrong with lovin' your bandmates and cryin' when they're goin' through a hard time?"

"Sap." Sasuke picked up a rice cracker, started to bite into it and then stopped, setting it down again. "Was it in your plan to get me drunk enough I'll forget what we're here to talk about?"

"That wasn't initially my plan," Naruto replied and broke into a laugh. "But it's lookin' pretty appealin' right now."

"Over my dead body." Sasuke downed the rest of his cup of sake.

"At this rate are you even gonna remember if I tell you?" Naruto asked, an eyebrow raised. He fiddled with his knife, sliding his thumb over the blunt edge.

"Yes. Especially when you're being so dramatic about it."

Naruto eyed him fondly, the corner of his lip curling upward. "God, I've missed you."

"Have you?" Sasuke's voice lowered considerably, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah."

"Then why did you ignore me? You seemed fine when you came back from LA. _We _seemed fine, and then almost the next day—later that night—you were different."

"I know." He sighed, looking down at the table instead of Sasuke. Naruto set his elbow on the table and lightly traced his bottom lip with his thumb, deep in thought.

"Naruto," Sasuke called after a minute. "Tell me the truth… if you can."

Naruto raised his eyes. "Why do you say it that way?"

"I didn't consider it until now, but did something happen you're not telling me?"

He wet his lips. "...Yeah."

"Something serious?" Sasuke's brows drew together. "Your family—?"

"No, no." Naruto shook his head. "It's not that. My family is fine."

Sasuke looked relieved at hearing that. "Then what." He studied Naruto for a little while. "Is it related to your trip? The threats? Your stalker?"

He should've known Sasuke would be able to piece it together quickly. Naruto swore sometimes that Sasuke was a damn mind reader.

"Yeah. That next day, I was informed about some things regarding all that stuff, and I… I know it's going to sound strange, but it made me feel like I should put space between us, and then the more I thought about it, I started to wonder if you should be spending time… with people outside of GCF, y'know? Or… guys your age. I wondered if I was bein' selfish in monopolizin' so much of your time."

"That makes no sense," Sasuke argued, playing with his ceramic sake cup, spinning it, lifting it and setting it on the table again. "I choose how I spend my time and who I spend it with. I come to you most of the time. So, what's the situation? What does your stalker and those threats have to do with me?"

"They think they found a couple of this person's online accounts, and it seems they have an obsession with the both of us," Naruto explained, trying to sift through how much information he wanted to give out when he didn't necessarily have all the details yet.

"So they're a crazy fan and, what," Sasuke asked. "They're obsessed with the both of us?"

"It would seem so." Naruto lowered his eyes again, the guilt creeping in once more.

"Why wouldn't staff inform me then?"

"It's more like, they're obsessed with the two of us bein'... together?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he accidentally knocked the cup over. Luckily, it was empty but he was quick to pick it up.

"...I see." Sasuke seemed to be taking this in and it almost seemed his cheeks became a shade darker, and it wasn't just from the sake. "So… what. You thought avoiding me at public functions and in private would make a difference?"

"I don't know." Naruto set his elbows on the table, sliding his fingers through the hair covering his forehead. "Yeah? I thought if I pushed you away I could protect you, and I also started to wonder how people got these crazy ideas about us."

When Sasuke didn't say anything else, Naruto looked over at him. The youngest appeared deep in thought, brow furrowed, eyes glazed.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't seem to hear him.

"Sasuke?" He called again.

"Is it?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"Is it what?"

"_Is_ it crazy?" Sasuke's gaze became focused as he stared at Naruto.

"Is what crazy?" Naruto frowned. "The stalker? Yeah, I'd say so."

"No," Sasuke said slowly. "Fans thinking that way about us."

Naruto swallowed hard, his heart giving a sharp jump inside his chest. "Like… shipping us? I guess… that's _normal _for idols. As long as it doesn't get out of hand, no."

Sasuke shook his head. "That's not what I mean."

It felt like his body went rigid, mouth barely able to move to form the words.

"Sasuke," he said. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nevermind." Sasuke shook his head and then covered one of his eyes, hair falling at a slant in front of his face as he lowered his head. "I'm drunk."

The room felt extremely quiet other than the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. It was so loud, he wondered if Sasuke could somehow hear it.

"Sasuke," he pressed gently. "Do you want to talk about something?"

"No… no. Now I understand why you were like that. I just wish you would've told me. I—I don't need you to protect me. I'm not a kid anymore. I know you still see me that way—"

"—Sasuke. It wasn't worth you worrying about—"

"—No. I get it now. You treat me like a kid. You see me as a kid. It's fine."

"No, I know you're not a kid," Naruto said adamantly. "I mean, yeah, you'll always be younger than me, and since you're the youngest, that's really special. Not just to me, but the rest of the members, too."

"But what if I don't want you to see me the way the other members do," Sasuke mumbled. "God." He covered his face with his hands. "What am I saying?"

It took several blinks before Naruto got to his feet, hands on the table because he needed some support. But then he walked over to Sasuke and sunk down by his feet, onto his knees. He reached up for Sasuke's hands, removing them from his face.

"Sasuke?" He asked gently. "Talk to me."

"I don't want to."

His voice was small, childlike. Ironic given Sasuke's speech seconds ago. It broke Naruto's heart to see him upset, especially if it concerned him. He didn't know what Sasuke was thinking or feeling exactly, but he also didn't think he was in the right state of mind either. Naruto shouldn't have ordered them alcohol, but they did their best bonding over drinks, so he hadn't thought much about it.

He held Sasuke's hands in his. They were shaking.

"Okay," he whispered. "We don't have to talk about it. What do you want to do?"

"I want you to—" Sasuke started to say, looking down at him, but then he was biting his bottom lip. It started to turn red.

Naruto got to his feet, letting go of Sasuke's hands so that he could cradle his face. He smoothed one of Sasuke's eyebrows with his thumb, then his jaw, partially traced under his bottom lip where Sasuke'd dug his teeth in too hard.

"What do you want, Sasuke? Hm?" He smiled at the youngest. "Ask for anything and I'll give it to you, okay?"

Naruto thought he was being a good older member, taking care of him, but when a single tear fell down Sasuke's cheek, he began to panic.

"Sasuke?" His eyes shifted rapidly across Sasuke's face. Instinctively, he swiped at the tear. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not."

Naruto was dumbfounded, torn between laughing and crying with him. "What's goin' through your head, huh? Are you upset about what I told you?"

"No?" Sasuke shook his head, dark eyes wild. "Maybe? I don't know anymore."

More tears came, streaking down Sasuke's cheeks, getting caught in his long lashes. He didn't know what else to do, so he picked Sasuke up from the chair and held him in his arms, hand moving in soothing circles over his lower back.

"Sasuke, Sasuke," he said near the youngest's ear. "Don't cry. Please. You're breaking my heart. Hmm? Tell me what's wrong. I'll fix it. Or do you want to lie down? Should I take you to your room?"

Sasuke clutched the front of his shirt. "No."

His voice sounded hoarse as he choked out his response. Naruto sighed, moving his fingers through Sasuke's hair, trying to calm him. As he held Sasuke in his arms for some time, he began to sway and hum. Eventually, Sasuke went still and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder, holding him around the waist while Naruto had his arms underneath Sasuke's armpits, fingers locked tightly together at the middle of his back.

"Have we ever slow danced before?" Sasuke mumbled into his shirt, now damp from his bandmate's tears.

"Mm." Naruto continued to sway them. "You backhugged me. At that award show. A long time ago. I saw video of it once. I think that counts."

"Ah, I remember that. Shikamaru had that injury and couldn't perform that night. You were sad."

"You were really cute that night." Naruto chuckled quietly. "You seemed older."

"I was trying to take care of you."

"I know," he answered, petting his hair. "You still do."

"No. You always end up trying to take care of me. Protect me."

"What's wrong with that?" He asked. "We protect the people we care about."

"Yes, but when do I get to protect you? When will you let me?" He lifted his head off of Naruto's shoulder, looking him square in the eye, gaze intense.

They danced in slow circles, hips moving in time even without music playing. He tilted his head, considering Sasuke's question, caught up in Sasuke's heavy stare.

"Why do you want to?" He asked curiously. "Don't you wanna be spoiled?"

"No. I never have. You all have just done that because of our age."

"We do it because we like to," he said. "We like takin' care of you. I like takin' care of you."

"You're not the only one who gets lonely." Sasuke's hands slid lower, to Naruto's hips. He took over their rhythm, and Naruto let him guide his body. "When you ignored me… how do you think that made me feel? I like spending time with you. I _like_ being with you."

"And I'm very sorry, Sasuke. I admit I didn't handle it well at all. It's my fault."

"It's not, not entirely. It's not your fault some fans are crazy and obsessed."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have ignored you. I should've at least asked you to give me some space or somethin' way more mature. I guess I wasn't in my right mind. That's no excuse, though. I hurt you. You're the last person I'd want to hurt like that." He allowed himself to smile as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, fingers twining at first and then he pushed one hand into Sasuke's hair before sighing.

Naruto wet his chapped lips with his tongue, which is when he noticed the way Sasuke's gaze dropped, lingering on his mouth longer than necessary. His heart started doing that thing again. The hands on his hips gripped more tightly, pulling his body closer.

"Sasuke," he said in warning, searching the youngest's face for answers.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing," he replied. "Mad I'm taking the lead?"

Naruto barked out a laugh. "You're really somethin', you know that?"

"Do you love me?" Sasuke asked, voice quiet but even.

"Of course I do," he answered without having to think about it, even adding a frown since the question seemed so ridiculous to him.

Sasuke's expression hardened further—not cold, but features becoming darker with something Naruto didn't know how to describe. He'd only seen it on the youngest's face a handful of times, usually while acting during an especially angsty MV. Whatever it was, it was mesmerizing, which is why when Sasuke's fingers slipped underneath his shirt to press to his lower back, the quietest gasp managed to escape Naruto's lips. Sasuke drew him flush to his front, giving him flashes of moments on stage—at the time, merely fanservice, but still exciting overall during a live performance. This time, though. They weren't on stage. It was just him and Sasuke, slow dancing with legs entwined. Naruto could feel the strong muscles of Sasuke's thighs against his, the fingers on his back pushing their way up along the path of his spine. When had his eyelids lowered? When had he started digging his teeth into his bottom lip enough to feel pain? When had Sasuke staring at him like this ever made him feel like a lovesick schoolgirl?

There was a voice, far off in the back of his mind telling him to put an end to this—whatever it was—before it went too far. There was a haze, a fog preventing him from doing the responsible thing. He tried to will his arms to move, but he couldn't.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice low and thick. It caused the hair on his arms to stand on end. There was a question in his bandmate's voice. Likely, more than one, but Naruto didn't know what answers to give him.

After closing his eyes, Naruto gave a deep sigh as his hands fell from Sasuke's hair, lightly grazed his neck before he pressed his palms to Sasuke's chest, down to his stomach where he could feel the hard abdominal muscles through his shirt. He started to push Sasuke away, but Sasuke only held him tighter, refusing to let go.

"Sasuke," he said, surprised at how it came out like a whine.

"Don't push me away again."

At that tone, Naruto's lips parted in surprise, eyes widening. "...It's not that, it's—"

"You really don't feel anything more than brotherly toward me?" Sasuke's hands traced around to his waist, gently skimming his sides.

He shuddered despite the alarm bells going off in his head. If he kept his eyes closed, he could pretend this wasn't real. That something he considered to be both a nightmare and a fantasy rolled into one was finally happening.

But, he knew it was real. Because he could feel Sasuke's warm breath on his lips. Feel the heat of Sasuke's body through his clothes, feel his fingers as they danced across Naruto's abs. Those same fingers began traveling up, into dangerous territory—Sasuke stretched them out, only centimeters below his nipples, making his intent crystal clear.

Is_ it crazy?_

Sasuke's question from earlier—one he'd misunderstood at the time—hung like a stilled image in his mind. Crazy? Yeah, it was crazy, but he couldn't say he was surprised. He couldn't say there wasn't a part of him, one he'd tried to suppress that knew this might happen one day soon. The glances, the touches, the electricity—on and off stage.

_The group, the group, the group, the group_ became a resounding chant, just below that curling desire that kept growing, unfurling with every touch of Sasuke's on his body.

He attempted to clear his throat, now painfully dry. "Sasuke."

"Don't tell me to stop," Sasuke scolded, reading his mind.

"I have to."

"Do you?" Sasuke's lips brushed his jaw, just barely.

But it was enough to snap Naruto out of this daze. Lightly, he pushed at Sasuke again until he was given room to grab the youngest's wrists and remove his hands from underneath his shirt. He put space between their bodies, still holding onto Sasuke.

They looked into each other's eyes, communicating without words. Naruto could read Sasuke's thoughts as if they were his own. He knew Sasuke was doing the same. His breathing hadn't completely calmed. The way Sasuke was looking at him, too, made Naruto feel small and restless. His skin itched where Sasuke's hands had been.

"What do you want me to say?" Naruto breathed, barely able to recognize his own voice.

"I know the same as you do," Sasuke replied. "What this could do to the group. Us."

"Us?" He repeated, half in wonder. As he started to let go of Sasuke's wrists, Sasuke was quick to take hold of his hands and intertwine their fingers.

"I'm not going to try anything," Sasuke assured. "But now you know how I feel."

"How long?"

"A while."

He knew Sasuke wasn't going to go into it, and Naruto already knew as much as he needed. In fact, he ended up nodding.

"Did you know?" Sasuke asked. "How I felt."

"I did and didn't," he said, hoping Sasuke would just understand. He seemed to, but it also didn't appear it was a good enough answer for him.

"And you?"

Naruto shut his eyes and sighed, hanging his head.

"You're not going to say." The disappointment was clear in Sasuke's voice.

"I… don't know how I feel, Sasuke."

"You know you do," Sasuke stated, bringing their joined hands up higher—palms pressed together, fingers overlapping. "This was… your reactions are… "

Naruto shook his head, and it felt as if he were in real pain—chest tightening with each passing second. His heartbeat remained loud in his ears, head pounding.

"Okay."

His eyes fluttered open after Sasuke spoke, his entire body heavy. With guilt, love, disappointment… lust. Which only led to more guilt. He wanted to cry even as his blood continued to boil under his skin, simply because of their proximity.

Sasuke frowned watching him, and then he let go of one of Naruto's hands so that he could touch Naruto's cheek. Pulling his finger away, there was a tear on the tip.

He looked at Naruto. "Don't cry."

"F-fuck," Naruto blurted, and soon the tears were falling like a dam had been broken. "It feels like my heart is breaking. Shit."

This time, it was Sasuke who took him into his arms, held him tight, whispered words of reassurance as he ran fingers through Naruto's hair.

"It's fine, Naruto," Sasuke told him, lips brushing the shell of his ear. "We don't have to do anything. I don't want anything from you, but now you know."

"Sasuke," he croaked, arms going around the youngest's waist.

Sasuke sighed as he buried his nose in Naruto's hair, hand moving in comforting circles on his back as Naruto rested his forehead on his bandmate's shoulder.

"It's okay," Sasuke whispered. "Nothing has to change."

He took hold of Naruto's face, looked at Naruto with such love and compassion, and just when Naruto was afraid Sasuke was leaning in to kiss him—he lowered Naruto's head and pressed his lips to the older member's forehead.

"I love you," Sasuke told him, lips moving against his skin. They stayed in that position a long while until Sasuke lifted Naruto's chin. Their faces were so close, and the pull so strong that Naruto felt like an entire war was taking place within—heart and mind battling it out while Sasuke stared at him with such patience, such knowing.

"I love you, too," Naruto confessed freely. Because he always had. Familial at first, but as the years passed, he knew that love had transformed into something more but equally as precious and irreplaceable. And as much as he wanted to hold Sasuke in his arms, he was just as scared of losing him or shattering what they had, not to mention their entire world. How could he risk not only destroying the band he loved so much, but also losing Sasuke in the process if he gave into selfish desires?

He loved Sasuke, but he also loved GCF. He couldn't choose one over the other.

Naruto covered Sasuke's hands with his. He thought about all of their nights together since the very first day they'd met in that small, stuffy practice room. All of the times at the beginning Sasuke had crawled into his bed at night, homesick or physically exhausted. He thought about how Sasuke had grown from a scrawny boy from his same hometown, same dialect into the man he is today. Taller and more muscular, profoundly talented at everything he attempted and a source of inspiration for him on and off stage.

Even with all of the doubts, even knowing it was completely impossible—Naruto held Sasuke's hands in his and let them fall to their sides. Before Sasuke could voice that question on the tip of his tongue, Naruto leaned forward to press their lips together. Light and experimental at first, but with a nip to Sasuke's upper lip, their mouths molded together in a kiss so tender and warm it brought tears to his eyes again.

Almost at the same time, they both drew away and somehow they knew—it would be their first and last. Yet, still they smiled at one another. Naruto even laughed, feeling shy afterward. Sasuke's cheeks were pink, but he looked happy. They didn't speak much after that as they began cleaning up their table and gathering trash, sorting out leftovers. When they left the room to put the food away in the kitchen, none of the other members were out. Sasuke helped him put away the table into the storage room in the hall. Like any other time, Sasuke crawled into his bed, under the covers. They put on a movie, plugged their phones in for the night, but—this time—they reached for each other's hands underneath the sheets. And, before he fell asleep, he remembered his head falling onto Sasuke's shoulder. Could smell the scent of Sasuke's favorite laundry softener on his shirt, causing him to recall late-night laundry dates on various overseas trips.

"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke asked as Naruto started to drift off.

"Nothin'," Naruto told him, smiling into the youngest's shoulder.

"Liar."

"Say, Sasuke," Naruto murmured sleepily. "When are you gonna take me on a trip?"

"Where do you want to go?" Sasuke asked. "Your birthday's not too far off."

"You mean besides the moon?"

Sasuke snorted. "Yes. Besides the moon."

"I don't know." He yawned. "How about… Disneyland?"

"Here in Tokyo?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded against him. "After my birthday. For Halloween. We can dress up so no one recognizes us. Stay in a fancy hotel, go out, have fun."

"Is that really what you want?" Sasuke asked, lips pressing to the top of Naruto's head.

"Yeah… sounds nice."

Maybe Sasuke said something after that, but he didn't quite hear it. It was only a fantasy of his. It was unlikely they could get the time off for something like that. Fans would go nuts if they heard about the two of them going on a trip without the other members.

But, he thought as he began slipping into unconsciousness, it's nice to _dream_.

* * *

**TBC**

What did you think ;)

GCF Tokyo next? lol. For those who don't follow BTS - and this isn't meant to be a ship story - but I know all of the various little things from watching too much content. However, Jungkook (Sasuke's based on him kinda), has done several short videos (which are called GCF for Golden Closet Film) and his first one was GCF Tokyo, which features Jimin. He's REALLY good. It's annoying how good, but GCF Tokyo is one of my favs. You can find it on YouTube if you want to make some connections with the last scene.


	10. GCF in Tokyo

_**a/n: **_This is the final chapter. I doubt I'll add any more than this. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part X: GCF in Tokyo**

_I got you, I promise  
__Let me be honest  
__**Love is a road that goes both ways  
**__When your tears roll down your pillow like a river  
__I'll be there for you  
__But you gotta be there for me too_

"There For You"  
Troye Sivan

* * *

He sat on the closet floor, contemplating the clothes he'd packed—and neatly folded—into his silver suitcase. By extreme luck that had a lot to do with sucking up to their managers, Sasuke convinced the agency to let his and Naruto's vacation schedule overlap at the end of October. So for three whole days they had no schedules.

As part of his gift for Naruto's birthday, Sasuke booked a stay at a nice hotel in Tokyo and bought two tickets to Disneyland (there was a _Nightmare Before Christmas_ theme going on with the rides, and they both had a weird obsession with the film). _He_ wasn't big on sight-seeing, but he knew Naruto liked to do _things_. And when Naruto expressed an interest in going to Disneyland, Sasuke thought: _Why not_? Six weeks had passed since they opened up to each other (and their bandmates) about their feelings. Having such busy schedules made it difficult to do anything romantic. They snuck in a few kisses during the rare instances they were alone without the fear of someone barging in through the door.

Sasuke couldn't say at what point his feelings for Naruto changed from friendly and familial to something _more_, but Naruto had _always _held a special and distinct place in his heart. They'd had a lot in common, even from the beginning (same hometown, same passion for performance, skilled at dancing and singing, same dialect that came out when they were angry or excited). Well, not _just _that—it was something else between them, something intangible. That _something_, however,had put him on edge once. When they were younger and Naruto used to be so loud and obnoxious, openly declaring his feelings for him in front of cameras or during radio interviews (though it was always presumed to be part of a concept). Even though it might have come across to fans like Sasuke ignored Naruto on camera, the truth was—behind the scenes—he often went to Naruto for comfort, crawling into his bed at night simply because Naruto reminded him of home.

There were lots of other coincidences he dare not think about regarding how they ended up in the same group. He only knew they were lucky to have met at all.

After a while, Sasuke sighed, staring at his suitcase and wondering if it was too much black. He'd also packed a bucket hat, sunglasses, and a mask for when they walked around in public. It was the first time they'd be exploring on their own without staff or security tailing them. They'd been warned by management of what to expect and how to handle bad situations or overzealous fans. Even though Naruto had been having issues lately, they _wanted _to do this and were aware of the risks. If someone caught them on the street, it could spread through social media. Sasuke thought that if anyone so much as lay a finger on Naruto, he would break their arm and beat them into the ground, fan or not. There was one time a mob of fans had knocked Naruto to the ground when he already hadn't been feeling well that week. Sasuke had felt such a surge of protectiveness after that, keeping at Naruto's side the rest of the day, putting himself between Naruto and the crowds swarming them at the airport. There were times it made him so angry, but Naruto never got mad. Even with his whole stalker situation.

After Naruto confessed more details to him about it, Sasuke demanded to know the full story from staff. He'd seen some of the tweets, direct messages, texts and was disgusted. But, for this weekend, they were going to put that out of their minds. That was his objective for them anyway. Sasuke even bought some new camera equipment and editing software, wanting to record their first trip together without the members. It was also exciting that they'd taken a step forward in their relationship. Or, well. He wasn't sure whether they could call it that yet. There'd been no time to discuss labels, but he could at least say that they wanted to be exclusive. Was he Naruto's boyfriend? Was Naruto his? To be honest, he wasn't sure. They'd talked some things over and opened up to the other members during a dorm meeting—none of them all that surprised oddly enough. Everyone seemed happy for them, though. They discussed what it meant for the group and, for the time being, were keeping it a secret from staff. He figured this time away together would be an opportunity to discuss it further.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he could admit this to Naruto, but a part of him was nervous. He'd never been nervous about being alone with Naruto before. In fact, he _loved _being alone with Naruto. They'd shared hotel rooms, shared beds. Basically, they'd grown up together in a way that they knew each other inside and out. So having thoughts of a physical relationship with Naruto was something he should get under control. It was already enough they were on the same page about their feelings for each other. The other members agreed to keep an eye on them, too. So that they didn't start kissing on stage, or Sasuke didn't try to grab for Naruto's hand during an interview. He understood that virtually anywhere they went, they might be filmed. He'd wanted this for so long. He'd been drawn to Naruto since forever, but now that it was real...?

Yeah, he felt a little nervous. Almost as nervous as he used to get prior to debuting.

A knock on his bedroom door interrupted his thoughts. He knew it was Naruto and called for him to come in. Once the door opened, Naruto walked inside and found him in the closet.

"Didn't you _just _come out of the closet, and now you're back in already?" Naruto teased, obviously thinking he was hilarious.

"I never said I was exclusively interested in men," Sasuke replied, keeping his face neutral just because he felt like riling him.

"Ah, crap. So I still have to compete with women, too?" Naruto crouched beside him, one of his knees cracking.

"You're getting old. Your joints are cracking," Sasuke teased. "And you don't need to compete with anyone." He raised his eyes from the suitcase. "You're the one I want."

The blush that began creeping up Naruto's neck was so adorable Sasuke had to restrain himself from grabbing the older man and pulling him down for a kiss.

"We're only going to be gone a few days," Naruto murmured, reaching for Sasuke's bucket hat and placing it on his head. "M'gonna wear this. You'll need to find your own."

"Ah, of course." Sasuke smiled at him. "What was I thinking? Is it too much black?"

"Yes," Naruto answered immediately. "But I packed mostly black, too. What about that one green hoodie I just got you?"

"I'm wearing it tomorrow when we go to check into the hotel. Why? Do you like that hoodie on me?" He smirked.

"I do like it on you." Naruto grabbed for his hand and interlaced their fingers. "Are you nervous?"

"A little." He gave a small shrug to show it wasn't a big deal. "I'm more excited than anything."

Naruto gave his hand a squeeze, giving him a long look. "_Me_, too."

Shit. There went his heart again and now the racing thoughts were going to return.

"Don't give me that look." Naruto's cheeks held a red tint, expression becoming more coy than confident. "We're not ready for _that _yet."

"I didn't say anything." Sasuke felt his own cheeks flushing, and tried to hide it by lowering his head. "...But I didn't know you'd be so shy about it?"

"God, I'm not shy about," Naruto lowered his voice even though there was no one in earshot of them, "Sex. It's you, Sasuke, so like—"

Sasuke's eyebrows went up. "So you're not attracted to me?"

"What?" The blond man groaned, flopping down on the floor and folding his legs beneath him. "I didn't say that. It's just that," his bandmate fidgeted, clearly searching for the right words and not realizing Sasuke was only riling him up. "I still feel like I wanna take care of you?"

"Still see me as a younger brother?"

"No—no. Obviously not." Naruto's smile turned into a frown, and Sasuke found he didn't like that so much.

"I'm only kidding, Naruto."

Naruto hummed, sounding doubtful. He used his free hand to give one of Sasuke's longer earrings a tug. It wasn't the usual dangling kind, it looked more like a claw or talon.

"Looks like you could hurt someone with that," Naruto remarked, smile returning.

"Wanna borrow it?" Sasuke asked.

"May~be." Naruto sing-songed and sighed. "I might need a little protection. I'm sure we won't be left alone once we go out of the hotel."

"I'll protect you. Plus we have security on speed dial."

"I can protect myself, too." Naruto pouted. "You're not the only one with a black belt."

"I know. I think, though, that are fans will respect us. Mostly."

"Mm. We can just use Kiba's line and say we're on 'important business'."

Sasuke snorted. "We'll be fine, especially if you're going to hide under that hat." He tugged at the brim so that it covered Naruto's face. "Didn't wanna see your ugly mug anyway."

"Oh, so now I'm _ugly_?" Naruto squawked without adjusting the hat despite Sasuke laughing at him. "What is it you like so much about me then, huh?"

He didn't deign to answer, but he did pull the hat off of Naruto so that he could see his face. His hair seemed lighter in color than usual. "Did you get your hair highlighted?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. They put somethin' on it that lightened it a little. Does it look okay?"

"You look good no matter your hair color," Sasuke replied swiftly.

Naruto's grin became so big it looked like it could hurt. "God knows it's been a lot of colors, huh? What's been your favorite?"

"Hard to say." Sasuke thought about all their previous concepts. "Red, black, silver, blond—I like them all. You were _particularly _excitable when you had red hair."

"My mom's hair is naturally red."

"Mm. I've seen the photos." Sasuke packed the hat into the suitcase, stood it upright, and locked the clasp. All that was left was to pack his tablet and a couple of other small items.

Naruto tucked a piece of Sasuke's hair behind an ear. "I'm glad they always keep your hair black. I mean, nowadays. Not that they ever dyed it much, but, yeah. I like it."

A hint of attraction was shining in Naruto's eyes. Fondness, too. The open attraction was new to see on him. Sasuke had felt an attraction for Naruto for a long time and thought he'd been obvious about it, but Naruto was about the thickest person he'd ever met. Or, rather, it wasn't that Naruto was dense, it was that he had a lot of insecurities. So even during Naruto's many moments of overconfidence, he had an equal number of moments where he became riddled with self doubt. Whether it be messing up a note during a live performance or some weird hashtag trended about him or a silly "scandal" that caused worry to fans. When they'd first started, Naruto had chubby cheeks and a youthful face despite having a very muscled body. Sasuke remembered those days, of Naruto working his body to death, starving himself, and fainting during practices due to a lack of sleep and proper nutrition. At the time, Sasuke was too young. He hadn't known what to do or say to comfort him, so he'd often left it to the older members to scold Naruto. But, Naruto was stubborn and didn't often listen. He also rarely complained or spoke up about any difficulties he was going through. It was only when he got a little older that he understood the concept of looking out for the other members, taking care of them—including Naruto. He nagged him about eating and even bullied him out of his strict diet by trying it out himself, which apparently scared Naruto into giving up on starving himself further.

"What's up?" Naruto asked suddenly, causing Sasuke to blink at him several times in confusion. "You're not havin' second thoughts... are you?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, almost offended. "Of course not."

Naruto broke into a goofy grin. "You sound so confident about it."

"Of course I'm confident about it. I've been looking forward to this since I bought the plane tickets."

"I know." Naruto lowered his head, dropping his gaze, too. He looked shy. "Me, too."

Sasuke's heart skipped a few beats. He took hold of Naruto's chin, lifting it.

God, he wanted to kiss him, but he felt nervous about it, palms sweating as he wiped his other hand across his thigh.

"What about you?" He asked softly. "Are you packed? Didn't forget anything? Your ID? Wallet?"

"Who do you think I am?" Naruto's head tilted to the side, and he stared fondly at Sasuke. "Shikamaru? When do I ever forget my stuff?"

"That time you left your luggage on the bus," Sasuke reminded him.

"That was one time!" Naruto smacked him in the chest. "Technically I didn't forget it either. It's just that we got off the bus to take photos, and then the bus left. Then we nearly lost you 'cause you stopped to take photos of pigeons or somethin'."

"You didn't lose me," Sasuke argued lightly. "It's just that I got a little behind the rest of you."

"Uh huh. It was cute, though. When you were waitin' for me by the window to get back."

"Only so I could be the first to make fun of you for losing it in the first place."

"Tch."

Leaning forward, Naruto wrapped his hand around the back of Sasuke's neck, massaging the muscles and thumb playing with the baby hairs along his nape.

"You were really cute back then," Naruto told him. "So young and shy and kinda dumb."

Sasuke scoffed. "I was _never _dumb."

"Mm." Naruto continued smiling, and before he could stop himself, Sasuke moved forward and— while pressing down on Naruto's knees with his hands flat—kissed him on the lips.

It took a second before Naruto responded, the kiss starting off chaste. It remained slow and tender at first. Then things became a little _less _chaste once Sasuke started running his hands up and down Naruto's thick, muscular thighs.

With a low grunt, Naruto clutched at the front of Sasuke's shirt, his other hand on the back of Sasuke's neck, drawing him closer. Sasuke squeezed Naruto's thighs, loving the hard feel of them under his hands. Naruto nibbled at Sasuke's lower lip, soothed it with his tongue, and let out a soft moan when he snuck his fingers under Naruto's shirt. He trailed his fingertips up his firm stomach—hard muscles quivering under his touch. It felt like there was a fire growing in his belly. Usually Sasuke found it easy to control his emotions. He wasn't an especially impulsive person, but with Naruto making those soft appreciative, mewling noises and responding so vocally to his touches, it was hard not to want to push his bandmate down onto the floor of his closet and use his mouth for very wicked purposes. The more he thought about all the ways he wanted to bring Naruto pleasure, the more he lost control of himself. He didn't even know how or when it happened that he had Naruto underneath him, Sasuke laying between his legs, hips aligned, and mouths still connected. It was just unfortunate that the moment Naruto wrapped his long legs around Sasuke's waist, two very excited GCF members barged into his bedroom—door flinging wide and banging against the wall, scaring the shit out of them both.

"Oh, Jesus!" Kiba cried as he spotted them on the floor. "How can I unsee that?"

Suigetsu, who was standing behind Kiba, smirked smugly. "Wow, you really couldn't wait until your little honeymoon, huh? And can we appreciate the irony of you two bein' in the closet."

Gently, Naruto pushed Sasuke off of him, straightening his shirt and wiping the saliva from off of his chin. Sasuke couldn't do more than glare. He didn't even care that he was half hard in his pants. Not like they'd never seen each other with boners before, but none of his previous ones had been caused from having humped Naruto into the floor (dreams didn't count).

"Well," Naruto said, addressing the situation calmly. "What can we help you with?"

"Oh, nothin," Kiba replied before flailing his arms in the air. "Just that Gaara's decided to drop his new mixtape tomorrow. No big deal."

"Holy shit, are you _serious_?" Naruto got up so quickly, he nearly knocked Sasuke on his ass in the process.

He tripped over Sasuke's suitcase as he scrambled into the bedroom, yanking Suigetsu and Kiba into a hug. All three bandmates jumped up and down, dancing around in a circle, laughing. Sasuke, given the situation happening in his pants, was slower to get up. His first instinct was to run into Gaara's room and fling himself onto the older member, but he probably wouldn't appreciate having Sasuke's boner jabbing him in the hip. He decided to calm himself first, choosing to remain in the shadows of the closet until he could will his penis to calm.

"Why are you just standin' there?" Suigetsu asked.

"Leave Sasuke alone. He's excited in his own way," Naruto teased, glancing at him.

"Yeah, so we can see," Kiba added, laughing knowingly.

He huffed, grumbling. "You could've just texted first at least."

"We did!" The two intruders said at the same time.

"Then we realized you weren't respondin' in the group chat when Gaara said somethin' to us all, so we kinda figured you were packin'—not makin' out or dry humpin' or whatever—"

"Oh, shut up," Naruto cut Kiba off. "It's not gonna be the last time you see it, so if you don't wanna catch an eyeful, learn to knock. Now, let's give Sasuke some time to get his dick under control while we go bother Gaara about WHY THE FUCK DID HE WAIT SO LONG TO TELL US THIS."

Sasuke sent a glare, but Naruto didn't even catch on since the three GCF members were so quick to dash out of his room. Not that Sasuke wasn't excited, too. He had so many questions for Gaara. He wanted to do a mixtape eventually, but he was way more green than Gaara when it came to production. There's no way he could do all of it on his own, without the agency's help or help from Shikamaru or Gaara, or even Kiba.

Suddenly, Naruto reappeared in the doorway. He was smirking at Sasuke, gaze dropping and then lifting again to meet his eyes.

"Don't take too long," Naruto told him, eyebrows quirking suggestively.

"If that's how you want to play," Sasuke replied. "I'll announce on Twitter that I've recently come to accept a new religion and have decided to take a vow of chastity from here on out."

Naruto barked out a laugh. "Our fans might actually like that, though."

"Yes, but would _you_?" Sasuke took a few steps toward him until they were standing close.

"We haven't even had that talk yet," Naruto answered, his expression and voice softening.

"You never got that talk?" Sasuke joked. "I got it from my dad and Shikamaru and Gaara… and Kiba, and Suigetsu, and Neji... _and _at least a couple times from you, including a time you were really drunk—"

"Okay, okay." Naruto let go of the door so that he could tug at one of the drawstrings of Sasuke's hoodie. "Let's talk about it tomorrow, huh? That's kinda what this trip is for."

"Okay." It was easy to agree since he definitely wanted them to be on the same page about things. Not to mention he wasn't entirely sure about Naruto's… experience. That was something he'd only pondered on occasion. It's not as if he had known Naruto forever, and Naruto was allowed his privacy. He wasn't the type to kiss and tell. Sasuke's experience was severely lacking. He'd dated a couple of girls in middle school before they made their debut. Other idols had made passes at him, girls and boys, but Sasuke didn't have time to do _much_.

"Yo, Sasuke." Naruto's hand was cupping his cheek when Sasuke snapped out of it. "You okay? I was only teasing earlier." He frowned. "If we're movin' too fast—"

Sasuke shook his head, covering Naruto's hand with his own. "It's not that. Give me just a minute or two and I'll join up with the rest of you? I want to make sure I'm all packed."

"Alright." Naruto nodded before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. He touched Sasuke at the shoulder, hand dragging down until he loosely took hold of Sasuke's wrist. "Let's not stay up too late tonight, huh? I want to be out of here as early as possible so we can start our trip."

"You're that eager, huh?" Sasuke asked, his cockiness returning.

"You know I am." Naruto smiled, cheeks tinting pink at his confession. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah," he said too quickly to be cool. "Uh, yes."

Naruto was looking at him as if he had stars in his eyes. He gave a short nod and a wave.

"Hurry," was all he said before he left the room, shutting the door behind to give Sasuke privacy.

Staring at the door, he took in a deep breath and was surprised at how loud his heart was beating in his ears. He swore Naruto was going to be the death of him, which led him to wonder:

_Was he going to make it through their first trip together _alive_?_

* * *

Naruto was practically bouncing off the walls when the taxi confirmed it was downstairs waiting. They had all of their belongings packed. Naruto was dressed in some black jeans, black turtleneck, black leather jacket, black chunky-framed glasses, and Sasuke's black bucket hat he'd stolen out of his suitcase. Sasuke was right behind him, wearing the green hoodie Naruto had bought him for the younger bandmate's last birthday. While the driver put the luggage into the trunk, Naruto snapped a few selfies. It wasn't long before Sasuke joined him, camera in hand and a backpack hanging off his shoulder. Naruto took it from him and brought it around to the trunk. He made some small talk with the driver before he ended up having to shove Sasuke into the backseat. He was too preoccupied with adjusting the camera. As soon as they buckled up, Sasuke was already shooting him as well as all the Tokyo scenery. Their dorm was a ways outside of Tokyo proper, on the northwest part of the city. It would take 40 minutes or an hour to get to the hotel because of morning traffic. They weren't in any hurry. Sasuke continued filming, Naruto took more photos. They joked around, both excited about their plans for the day. Or, lack of plans, really. Both of them were the type to wing it. Naruto thought he wanted to shop, eat good food, walk around Harajuku and Shibuya, dress up for Halloween, ride the (non-scary) Disney attractions, and do all the stuff other people their age got to do.

"Are you gonna be stuck behind the camera this whole time?" Naruto asked.

"It's a new camera. I'm just testing it out," Sasuke replied, unabashedly filming Naruto. He could tell he was zooming in by the way the lens moved.

"I'm glad I put some makeup on then."

Sasuke smirked. "You look good barefaced, too."

"Meh." Naruto waved him off, pulling a face. "I brought some protein bars. Do you want one?"

"No, Neji made me a shake before we left."

"Oh, always playin' favorites, that guy. Didn't offer me anything."

"You were in the bathroom the whole time," Sasuke had to point out. "But, it is true that I'm his favorite." He gave Naruto a smug look, which led to Naruto having to smack him on the arm and then again on the chest for good measure.

"Neji loves me, too," Naruto whined. "That's why he always has me on when he's doing the eating show. 'Cause we can both eat and have adult conversations."

"Hey, I've been on those, too."

"I know. I was there with you for some of them."

"You stole my steak." Sasuke put the camera into video mode. "You were trying to be so sneaky."

"I wasn't tryin' to do anything," Naruto huffed, grabbing for his phone when he felt it vibrate. He had a message from his manager and an inappropriate gif sent to him from Suigetsu. "That kid."

"Is it Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked.

"I wonder at what point the members will give up on teasin' us, do y'think?"

"Probably never."

Naruto held his phone up, pointing it at Sasuke. He snapped a photo and smiled when he looked at it on the screen. "You always take such good pictures. You look so young."

"I am young." Very lightly, Sasuke brushed his fingers across Naruto's thigh.

"You don't have to remind me." Naruto glanced up at him from under his blond lashes.

"We're only two years apart. Same age difference as my parents."

Naruto hummed. "Speaking of…"

"We'll talk about it later," Sasuke said quietly. "When we get to the hotel. Later tonight."

Naruto nodded. "No rush."

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Are you, um. Excited to see the hotel room?"

"I didn't really check it out. I assumed if you picked it out, it'd be to my tastes, too."

Sasuke's cheeks flushed, which led Naruto to laugh at him. He playfully punched Sasuke in the arm, hand falling to his bandmate's wrist, where he squeezed it gently.

"I think you'll like it," Sasuke said, his voice soft.

"How big is the bed?" Naruto asked, lifting his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Big enough for the both of us to roll around like we usually do."

Naruto scoffed. "I am so much better these days! And you shouldn't talk. We could be 10 feet apart and I'll wake up with you clinging to my back."

Sasuke shrugged. "I can't help it that I like to cuddle while I'm sleeping."

"Yeah, and you don't care who it is either."

"Oh, jealous?" Sasuke scooted closer until their sides pressed together.

"Hardly. I'm equally generous with my physical affections." He sniffed haughtily.

"Don't I know it," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto squinted at him, not wanting to tease him too much. There were times—before their confessions—that he'd thought Sasuke's behavior seemed odd or suspicious. Like, if he slung an arm around another member and left it there too long. Naruto was a fairly affectionate person. He was a dancer, so he liked to express himself through his body. That included touching, too. The other members were family to him. He liked to hug them a lot. Sometimes he wasn't even aware of how much he did it. But, he thought he was as touchy with Sasuke as he was anyone else. Although, he did consider how Sasuke used to shy away from it back in the old days, so maybe he was more conscious of his reactions compared to the others'.

"So, how long do you think it'll be before fans spot us walkin' around?" He asked.

"My guess is not long." Sasuke tugged up the hood of his sweatshirt, tightening it as if already anticipating being caught. "I'd like to at least make it to the hotel before anyone notices. In fact, it'd be preferable if no one realizes we're staying in a hotel when our dorm is less than an hour away."

"Managers already anticipated if they start seeing questions online, they'll release a statement saying we're on a brief vacation and to allow us our privacy, etc, etc…"

"Does that make it more or less suspicious?" Sasuke asked, looking at him.

Naruto shrugged. "Even if you and I weren't, _you know_, some people would think we are anyway. I'm sure they'd understand it's not a big deal. Not like we went overseas."

"Maybe we should've?" Sasuke wondered aloud. "I could've taken you to Hawaii."

"But we've already been there." Naruto settled his hand on Sasuke's knee.

"We've clearly been to Tokyo, too."

"I know, but I mean if we were gonna do a quick overseas trip, we should go somewhere new? Or, I never mind goin' to America."

"Even after what happened last time?" Sasuke asked, almost sounding incredulous.

"That could happen anywhere." Naruto took off the bucket hat briefly so he could swipe a hand through his hair. He put it back on. "It's my fault for droppin' my guard."

"It's not _your _fault at _all_," Sasuke sighed, sounding annoyed. He'd already been lectured by Sasuke to stop making excuses for bad fans' behaviors. But, they just saw things differently in that regard. Naruto could admit that some fans were not (mentally) well or just, literally, posed a safety risk. But, he also thought to himself that those types weren't _real _fans.

Naruto felt it best to change the topic. "I wanna get meat don tonight. What do you think?"

"Sounds good." Sasuke nodded, checking out some of the footage he'd taken. Naruto leaned over to watch, cringing when he saw himself on the screen.

"Ah, what're you gonna do with that? I look so—"

"—You look handsome. And sexy."

"Hmm." Naruto nudged him with his shoulder. "We still have a ways to go. Don't get me all… _excited_."

"I can't help it that you have a praise kink."

As soon as Sasuke lifted his head to smirk at him, Naruto shoved him into the taxi door.

"You ass." Naruto pounded on him playfully. "Stop sayin' I have a praise kink!"

"But you do," Sasuke replied, unbothered by Naruto's assault. "Are you even hitting me right now? I can't tell since your hands are so tiny and weak."

"Ah!" Naruto grabbed the drawstrings of Sasuke's hood and tightened the hood around his face until only his nose and lips could be seen. "I'm gonna smother you tonight while you sleep."

"Are you sure your tiny hands will be able to hold the pillow?"

"Hmph." Naruto pushed him away and scooted to the far side of the seat. He sulked as he leaned his head against the window, watching the cars passing by at a slow pace.

He could hear Sasuke laughing, and it only made him stick his bottom lip out further. Naruto wasn't really mad. He was used to Sasuke teasing him despite being the older one in their relationship. In fact, he thought it was kind of cute, but he wasn't about to tell Sasuke that. He hadn't slept much last night because he'd stayed up thinking about the trip. Most of it had to do with the excitement of being alone, away from managers, and… being with Sasuke. There was also something else buzzing around in his head. They were going to be alone. In a hotel room. They could basically do whatever they wanted. There hadn't been time to have any kind of discussion about physical, let alone _sexual _boundaries. To be honest, he wasn't even entirely confident he knew all there was to know about Sasuke's sexual or romantic history. If he had to guess, he'd say there hadn't been much. He knew Sasuke was popular with girls in school. He also knew he'd had a couple of girlfriends pre-debut. Naruto had, too. Well. Girlfriends and… boyfriends—but nothing serious. Nothing he couldn't play off as just having been the product of pubescent curiosity. There had been times other idols (male _and _female) had flirted with him at events. He'd be lying if he said that he'd never felt attraction to at least some of them—even flirting brazenly at various award shows. But it's not like anything went further than that. There was too much at risk if he were to fuck up and screw around with another idol.

That being said… Sasuke. What _were _they? They were _something_, right?

Probably safe to say they both wanted to be exclusive. As in, neither was interested in anyone else. There'd been no time to truly talk about such things. Like, what label to place on their relationship. It felt dangerous to suggest calling it an official relationship or referring to each other as boyfriends. Naruto wasn't ashamed of being attracted to men, but he did have some residual guilt for falling for his bandmate—and a younger one at that. One he'd often bragged about _raising_. So, to think of Sasuke sexually was… strange. Sasuke was attractive. Naruto had thought so even when he was younger. _Objectively_. He was proud that their youngest member was so good looking. Now, though. It was different. They kissed. They'd kissed quite a few times since confessing their feelings. But when Naruto was alone at night, when he took hold of himself despite the overwhelming exhaustion—it was Sasuke he thought about. He thought of Sasuke settled between his legs, staring up at him with those big, dark, beautiful eyes…

"Naruto?"

Naruto blinked when he realized Sasuke was so close to his face that their noses were nearly touching. For some reason, his instinct was to press a hand to the youngest's chest and push him away. He felt immediately guilty, however, when confusion crossed Sasuke's face.

"Sorry." Naruto shook his head. "I started daydreaming." He fought to keep his eyes from falling to Sasuke's plump lips and attempted a smile he hoped would ease the tension.

"About what?" Sasuke asked, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. He had this look on his face as if he could read Naruto's mind, which had been known to happen on occasion.

"None of your business."

"Hmm." Sasuke tilted his head, scrutinizing him rather closely. Enough that Naruto began to fidget next to him. "Why do I feel like you were thinking something dirty?"

"Maybe you're projecting," he replied, voice equally as low. "Were _you _thinkin' somethin' dirty?"

"Now I am." Sasuke pressed closer, inching toward his side of the seat, thighs touching.

"What are you thinking?" Naruto asked, even though he knew this was dangerous territory.

Sasuke placed a hand on his left thigh and squeezed it. "About your thighs."

"You _do _have that thigh fetish."

"I do, which is why I can recognize how great yours are." He gave him another squeeze.

Naruto wet his lips. "Sasuke," he warned.

"What? The driver has the screen up. He can't see or hear anything."

"Yeah, but anyone could randomly see us from some car and take a photo."

"Yeah, and people will say we're just bros hanging out."

"Heh." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, conscious of Sasuke's hand still on his thigh. There was a part of him that wanted Sasuke to inch it up further. He knew Sasuke wouldn't.

Sasuke lifted his hand off of him as if (again) reading his mind. "We have all weekend."

Naruto took in a deep, calming breath and glared when he saw the smug way Sasuke kept looking at him. Like he knew the effect he had on Naruto.

"Are you gonna torment me the entire time?" Naruto asked.

"Who's to say you're not doing the same to me?"

"But I'm not even doing anything," he argued. "I'm just sitting here."

"That's enough for me," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto's stomach did a couple of flips at Sasuke's tone. "You've gotta be kiddin'."

"If you want," Sasuke licked his lips, "I could move your hand between my legs and show you just how much I'm kidding right now."

"_Jesus_, Sasuke!" Naruto's hands went to his cheeks as if it could relieve the sudden flash of heat hitting his face. "What are you saying? I'm _older _than you."

"Didn't stop you from letting me crawl on top of you in the closet last night."

"Oh, please." Naruto flipped back into big brother mode, flicking Sasuke in the forehead. "Know your place, Uchiha Sasuke. I could show you things you've never even dreamed of."

"Is that a promise?" Sasuke asked, the corner of his mouth twitching in mirth. "I hope so, because if it was a _threat_, it's the worst I've ever heard in my life."

* * *

"Are you ever gonna stop filming?" Naruto asked after they'd checked into the hotel and were inside the elevator, heading up to their floor.

"I thought you liked being on camera?" Sasuke was standing behind him. Naruto could see his reflection in the mirror paneling of the elevator.

"What are you gonna do with all this footage anyway?" He turned to face Sasuke, struck with how handsome he looked in the sharp lighting. Even without makeup, he was breathtaking.

"Make a video maybe," Sasuke answered. "See if I'm any good at it."

"Is there anything you're not _good _at?"

Sasuke smirked. "Emotional vulnerability?"

Naruto chuckled, giving Sasuke a push in the chest. "Cute."

The youngest seemed pleased at making him laugh. Naruto, meanwhile, thought maybe he was getting too cocky. He needed to start bossing him around more.

"I get to choose my side of the bed," he said, raising an eyebrow and waiting to see if Sasuke made any argument.

"Of course," Sasuke was quick to agree. "I'll roll onto your side later tonight anyway."

"Oh, you think so?"

"I think it's plausible depending on how much we drink tonight."

"Neither of us are gonna drink more than we can handle. That's all we need is to have someone film us gettin' wasted at some pub."

"We can get wasted in the hotel room, and I'll film us?"

"Tch." When the elevator doors opened, Naruto rolled his suitcase out onto the floor, Sasuke following behind and finally putting his camera away into its case.

"You need a new case," Naruto mumbled while they walked side by side, hands occasionally brushing between them. "Maybe for your next birthday?"

"This bag is fine. Plus, you'll probably try to buy me some expensive name brand one."

"And?"

Naruto wondered what was wrong with buying namebrand clothing if they could afford them. When they'd started so many years ago, they were styled in, well, questionable outfits—hardly namebrand unless it was a knock off.

"And," Sasuke said as they stopped in front of their room and he swiped the key card in front of the sensor, "You could use that money toward, say, a deposit on an apartment?"

Naruto's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "I'm sorry. What now?"

"Did you forget? That time you asked me in the car. What I wanted for graduation?"

"Yeah, but I thought you were kidding." Naruto continued to stare at him, at least until Sasuke held the door open for him and waited for Naruto to come inside.

Sasuke shrugged. "The other members are starting to buy property. It's a good investment, even if we're still living in the dorm most of the time."

"Are we really gonna talk about real estate investment on our very first ever solo vacation together?"

"It's not as if I'm being serious about it, but yeah, I've thought about it. Maybe we could go in on it together?" Sasuke waggled his eyebrows after finding both of them stands on which they could place their luggage.

Naruto went straight to the windows, staring out and enjoying the view of downtown Tokyo—the light shining down as people walked amidst the busy street below. "It's a shame I'll have to close the blinds."

"Ah, the windows are tinted," Sasuke assured. "No one can see inside, but we can see out. We can close them, though. Also, I made sure the room was scanned for anything. It's all good."

"Well then." Naruto looked over at him where he stood next to the king-sized bed. "I'm impressed." He glanced around the room, too, offering an appreciative nod. "Not bad—but what's with the bathroom?"

Sasuke grinned. "What about it?"

"You can, um." Naruto walked over toward it, a finger pressed to his lips. "You can see into it from here." He turned around to face Sasuke again. "Or is that tinted, too?"

"I guess we won't know until one of us takes a shower, hm?" He strolled over to Naruto and reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers.

The soft gesture brought a smile to his face.

"Sasuke," he said, feeling overwhelmed and even a bit shy. "Thank you. For all of this. Organizing it and everything. I'm… really happy you did this."

"Yeah?" Sasuke stepped closer so that the toes of their shoes touched. "I'm happy, too."

Naruto swung their hands. "What do you wanna do first?"

"Well, I thought we could unpack some and then head out for lunch. Go to all of the places where you want to do some shopping."

"Okay, you're starting to turn me on already mentioning food and shopping."

"Is that all it takes?" Sasuke asked, amused. "You're so easy, Naruto."

"Oi, Sasuke." Naruto poked him in the chest. "Watch your tone."

"I'm trying." Sasuke leaned closer, hunching down since he had at least a couple inches on him in terms of height. "But your reaction is so cute when I talk informally to you."

Naruto wasn't impressed. "I don't mind if it's just us, but don't forget when we're in public, it could be taken the wrong way."

"Are you reprimanding me?" Sasuke's eyes were bright with mischief. "Do you want to spank me later?"

"_Ya_," Naruto let go of his hand and pushed him away. "This is what I'm talkin' about. Show some respect." He slipped off his shoes and set them near the entryway before taking a leap onto the bed and its crisp, comfy-looking snow white duvet. "God this feels so good." He patted the spot next to him. "Lay next to me?"

Sasuke came obediently, but instead of going around the bed, he purposely crawled on top of Naruto and nearly kneed him in the stomach in the process. Naruto let out a quiet "oof" and gave Sasuke's ass a slap as he passed over him and rolled onto the other side of the bed. It felt comfortable, the two of them lying here, looking up at the ceiling.

"It's so quiet." Naruto chuckled. "It's weird without the other members here, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna take a selfie?" He turned his head to look at Sasuke.

"Yep."

Naruto scooted closer until their sides and cheeks were pressed together. He took his phone out of his pocket and held it above their heads, snapping a couple shots.

"Maybe I'll make a video of my own when we get back," Naruto announced smugly.

"Mm. Sounds good. You gonna send that to the guys?"

"I already am." Naruto posted it into their groupchat and maybe 30 seconds later received a reply from Kiba going "aww" while Suigetsu texted that "you make me sick" and Shikamaru's "don't get wasted or naked in public" and Neji's "enjoy the honeymoon."

"Nothing from Gaara yet," Sasuke mentioned. "He probably stayed up late monitoring Twitter after dropping the mixtape at midnight."

"Do you think he did it just to take the attention away from us in case we get seen?"

"I did wonder about it, yes. He could've waited until next week or next month."

"He's such a softie, I swear to God."

"He is. I've always thought so."

Naruto joined his fingers together and held them above his head, stretching out of his arms. "Before we fall asleep. I think we should get ready to go out, don't you?"

"I do. What are you in the mood to eat?"

"Meat," Naruto answered quickly. "Anything so long as it's meat. Do you agree?"

Sasuke sat up on the bed, nudging Naruto in the calf with his socked foot. "As if you even have to ask."

* * *

Now, Sasuke didn't particularly enjoy shopping. If he ever needed anything, including clothes, he'd buy it online, and if he really liked a piece, he'd buy it in other colors and that was that. But, Naruto. Naruto was a clothes whore. His closet at the dorm was filled with clothes he hardly had worn but bought on impulse. For a while, they'd accepted gifts from fans at fansigns, but eventually that got complicated, so the agency no longer allowed it. They'd been given clothes, expensive jewelry that they all wore to this day or exchanged amongst themselves. Naruto seemed happy, though. As they shopped at Gucci and Chanel. Naruto happily tried on a variety of items with the kind of pricetags that made Sasuke's wallet weep. Even though they did very well financially, Sasuke was a bit of a cheapskate, stingy, or as he liked to call it: financially responsible. He was fine wearing whatever was lying around. He had about 50 white t-shirts in his closet, all the same style and size. If it was loose and comfortable, he liked it. Something he could throw on and head to dance practice. Unlike the other members, he rarely put effort into his outfit, even if they were heading to the airport, which was always surrounded by paparazzi.

Usually he'd get bored tagging along while Naruto shopped, but there was this restless energy both of them were feeling being on their own. Sasuke filmed him as he tried on a fuzzy black waistcoat and did a silly dance in front of the mirror for Sasuke's amusement. He looked so damn happy that Sasuke bit his tongue so he wouldn't remind him that he already had about 10 black coats in his closet. After a while, Naruto picked out a few items that he liked and asked one of the staff for recommendations on lunch (which they'd put off once Naruto spotted all of the stores on their way out of the hotel).

They decided on something casual and quick as they walked the streets of Harajuku. So far, they'd gone unnoticed. At least as far as they could tell. He wasn't making it a habit to check Twitter every other second. Plus, they did have respectful fans, so maybe they knew well enough to keep their distance or at least not expose their location. Getting mobbed might put a damper on their lunch date. They eventually found the entrance to Red Rock, which was a small chain restaurant that specializes in meat don. They used the machine to pick out their meals, each deciding on a large bowl of cut steak don and two pints of Sapporo. Naruto was wearing Sasuke's bucket hat he'd stolen from him and Sasuke had his hood up, face hidden by his camera as he took a couple shots of Naruto eating and making dorky faces at him.

When they finished, Naruto gave his belly a satisfied pat. "That was so good."

Sasuke grinned, an elbow propped on the table. "You ate it all, too."

"I was hungry. Didn't have much of a breakfast." He checked his watch. "It's only 2. What do you wanna do next?"

"Is matching tattoos going too far?" Sasuke teased.

Naruto scoffed. "I already have one. How many more do I need?"

He shrugged. "Depends. I want one."

"The managers would shit themselves if I let you come back with a tattoo."

"'Let me'?" Sasuke repeated. "Lots of idols have tattoos. Besides you."

"Yeah, but you're the youngest. You have that cute, innocent image you have to uphold."

Sasuke tried not to be offended. "Since when?"

"Since forever." Naruto bumped him in the shin under the table. "I mean, you can do whatever you want. Just maybe not this weekend 'cause I'll get blamed for it."

"Do you have a problem with me getting one?" He wondered sincerely.

"Of course not!" Naruto sipped down the rest of his beer. "I know you've wanted one since forever. You know. 'Cause you always like to copy me. Figured you'd want one, too."

"Come closer so I can wipe that smirk off your face." Sasuke leaned over the table, trying to reach for him, but Naruto batted his hand away, laughing.

"Fine. Not this weekend. Maybe not even this year, but… one day."

"You should grow your hair out, too. Complete the image," Naruto suggested. "Although with long hair, you'd look a lot like—"

"Don't even say his name," Sasuke interrupted.

"Sasuke," Naruto scolded.

They'd had this conversation about Itachi around a million times. He knew how Naruto felt about it, but that didn't make Sasuke any more inclined to have some deep conversation with his brother, iron out their differences. It didn't help that he knew Naruto thought highly of Itachi. Now that they were—whatever they were—it would make him even more jealous if Naruto were to compliment him. God. And if they bumped into Itachi. His brother would be able to tell just by looking at them that they were together. He was annoyingly perceptive like that.

"That's a talk we should have at some point," Naruto murmured.

"About your unresolved crush on my older brother?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Please. Don't be a brat. I meant, you know. Informing our families. About us. We don't have to do it right away, but soon."

Sasuke sighed. "I know. Soon. I think your family will be more open to it than mine."

"Except Itachi. You know he's not gonna have anything bad to say about it."

All this talk about Itachi was souring his mood. He pouted at the older man.

"Don't pout," Naruto told him, reaching over to brush his hair away from his eyes. "You know it's true. Even if you don't get along with him, Itachi's open minded and chill about these things."

"He might not be. He won't care about two men dating, but he may care that I'm doing something as irresponsible as dating a bandmate."

"Is what we're doin irresponsible?" Naruto asked, eyes widening as he tilted his head to the side.

Sasuke felt bad as soon as he saw the frown on his face. He wanted to make it go away, but he also didn't like lying. Not to Naruto and not to himself.

"Objectively? I can see where others would think so," he answered. "I think we can be responsible about it. If I didn't, I would've held in my feelings forever."

"I don't know what to say about that." Naruto lowered his eyes, swirling his beer glass around in circles. "Although I know you're only bein' honest."

"Maybe for now it's enough that the members know. And in a couple of weeks we can revisit what we want to say to our families."

"I'm pretty sure my mom already knows," Naruto admitted, looking guilty.

"Did you tell her?"

"Uuuuh. Not in so many words."

Sasuke sighed, but he looked at Naruto fondly. "I'm not surprised. It's fine. If you want to tell her, I don't mind."

"It's not like I've had much time to talk to her in the past month anyway, so I think it was just mother's intuition or somethin'. I barely got a word out a few days after you and I—you know. And she kept asking these questions. I just said, 'I'll let you know when I know, ma'."

"That probably solidified whatever she had assumed in her mind.

"Probably." Naruto shrugged. "She'll be happy for us, but maybe that's one we should do in person or through videochat? If you feel comfortable, I mean."

Sasuke's smile grew wider. Naruto being all shy and vulnerable was… very cute.

"Why are you smilin' like that?" Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Sasuke leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I want to kiss you right now."

"Oh." A blush stained Naruto's cheeks. "Well. Might not be a good place for that. Rain check?"

"Back at the hotel room?"

"If you're good to me and you behave."

"You want me to behave?" Sasuke asked suggestively.

"Sasuke!" Naruto glanced around the place, but no one was paying attention. It was too small, the lighting too low for anyone to recognize them.

"Is that a yes or no?"

"Well… I mean… for now that's a yeah, you better treat me like I'm your older bandmate."

"You _are _my older bandmate."

"You know what I mean." Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Should we get goin' then? Maybe just wander around and do whatever we feel like."

"Sounds good to me."

"You're not tired yet? I know you don't like to do too much sightseeing in one day."

"It's fine." Sasuke stretched an arm above his head until he heard a satisfying pop. "It's a special weekend, so I'm happy as long as I get to do whatever with you."

"Okay, maybe we won't wait until we get back to the hotel to kiss. Don't you need to, I dunno, use the restroom or something?"

Sasuke chuckled. "I guess I could do."

"...Race you there?" He started to get up from the table, but Sasuke shoved him back down into the seat apparently forgetting that Naruto was required if they wanted to make out together.

Naruto chased after him, laughing and making fun of him, and shoving Sasuke hard through the restroom door.

* * *

After a fun, but exhausting day of doing whatever they wanted—ice cream parlors, jewelry shopping, walking through the park, and stopping at a pub for a few pints and darts—they were nearly asleep on their feet by the time they walked through the door of their hotel room.

Naruto was leaning against Sasuke as he worked his way out of his boots, too lazy to bend over and untie them. "I feel as tired as I do after one of our concerts."

"Oh?" Sasuke hid a yawn behind his hand. "You must be getting out of shape in your old age."

"You're yawning right next to me!" Naruto scolded. He would've pushed him away, but he would've fallen over. "I need a shower."

"You can go first." Sasuke pulled his hoodie over his head and went over to the closet, where he hung it up in the closet along with the rest of some of their clothes. "I'll try not to watch. Or should I go for a walk, get us something from the vending machines?"

Naruto glanced over, eyes following the curve of Sasuke's backside as he crouched in front of his backpack, pulling out his phone charger.

"How long have we known each other? Sasuke, we've showered together."

"I know, but that was all before this." He glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. "I want you to be comfortable."

"Hmm." Naruto walked over to where he was crouching and ruffled his hair fondly. "You sounded really mature just then. ...But what if I want you to look?"

"Then let's take one together. You know, for the sake of the 'old days'."

Naruto smirked as he tugged at Sasuke's earring. "Brat."

"Is that a yes?" Sasuke's eyes searched his, dark and smoldering.

"It's a…" Naruto wet his bottom lip. "...Maybe… too soon."

He could tell Sasuke was trying not to appear disappointed, but Naruto (being the older one here) thought he should at least try to act responsible and not rush into anything they'd regret.

"You're probably right," Sasuke whispered.

Smiling, Naruto leaned in and pressed his lips to the corner of Sasuke's mouth. "But you're welcome to watch through the glass wall if you want."

Sasuke's whole face went bright red, so red that he ended up coughing and looking to the side. Naruto thought he looked adorable, but it was also pretty funny given what Sasuke had just suggested.

"Sasuke, why are you blushing? You wanted to shower with me, didn't you?"

"Yes, because I could've helped wash your back or shampoo your hair," Sasuke muttered. "It didn't have to be sexual, but watching you in the shower is—"

"Naughty?" Naruto waggled his eyebrows at him, bouncing in his crouched position until Sasuke pushed him over and made him lose his balance. He fell on his ass, laughing.

"You're such a tease Uzumaki Naruto."

"That is what I'm known for," he replied, taking Sasuke's hand as the younger man helped him to his feet.

They didn't let go right away; instead, they stared into each other's eyes, communicating their feelings without needing to say it out loud. Naruto cupped his hand around the back of Sasuke's neck, rubbing his thumb just under his hairline. Staring at Sasuke, he started to get a little too much into his own head, still wrestling with his past role as Sasuke's protector or caretaker to this new role as… yeah.

"You're thinking too much," Sasuke murmured, pressing his thumb between Naruto's brows and working out the wrinkles.

"I am."

"We can take this as slow as we'd like, Naruto. I'm not expecting anything to happen. I might be more eager than you, but I also understand where you're coming from and that this may take some adjusting. I have moments like that, too."

He sighed, using the hand on Sasuke's neck to press their foreheads together. "No one knows me as well as you, Sasuke."

"Not even Kiba? Or Suigetsu? You're the same age as him."

"They know me, of course. But you—" Naruto didn't know quite how to explain it in words, but knew Sasuke felt similarly. "I don't have to tell you how I feel. You get it."

"You are me, I am you?" Sasuke whispered, both of them cracking grins at his words.

"Dork." He shivered as he felt Sasuke place a hand at his hip and squeeze. Quietly, Naruto hummed, eyes closing as he sorted through his thoughts, fighting his instincts.

Only when he felt Sasuke's thumb sneak under his shirt did he open his eyes. It was silly to worry about kissing Sasuke since they'd done it a few times already. Now that they had all the time and privacy in the world, it was almost overwhelming. To think they could do anything. He placed his hand flat to Sasuke's chest and felt his heartbeat sped up.

Naruto smiled at him, thought "what the hell" and leaned in to kiss him on the lips. It seemed to catch his bandmate off guard at first, but a second later he responded, slotting their lips together as if they'd done this a million times before instead of five.

As they kissed, Naruto's fingers traveled up into Sasuke's hair, giving it a soft tug that caused the younger man to moan lightly into his mouth. It excited him more than it should have. He nibbled at Sasuke's bottom lip before laving his tongue over it and almost immediately, Sasuke cupped Naruto's cheek, tilted his head and opened his mouth to deepen their kiss. Naruto tried to push any anxious thoughts to the back of his mind, not that he had to fight too hard against himself once the tip of his tongue touched Sasuke's. Sasuke clutched at the front of Naruto's shirt, bringing him flush against his body. Naruto could feel all the hard muscles underneath his clothes. By the time they broke apart for air, Sasuke's hand was under his shirt, running circles over his abs while Naruto had both of his hands buried in Sasuke's hair, keeping him close. He licked his lips, tasting Sasuke and a bit of the alcohol from when they'd been at the pub earlier.

Naruto's eyes were hooded as he grinned at Sasuke. "...Nice."

Sasuke snorted, hand slipping out from under his shirt. He traced his forefinger across Naruto's cheek and booped his nose, which Naruto scrunched and then thwacked his hand away.

"'Nice'?" Sasuke teased. "Is that all you have to say?"

"I don't want the praise to go to your head."

"Oh, because you're the only one with a praise kink?"

"Shut up." Naruto hit him in the chest, but Sasuke was quick to cover his hand, keeping it in place over his heart. It was beating as fast as Naruto's, maybe more so.

Sasuke was staring at him expectantly, eyebrows drawn up a little ways.

"I guess… it'd be more efficient to shower together, huh? Like the old days… just… make sure to keep your hands above the waist."

Sasuke sucked in a tight breath. "...I would've been fine just watching you."

Naruto scoffed and pushed him away. "Fine, do just that then."

He went to walk away, but Sasuke grabbed hold of his wrist, pulled him back and caught him up in another kiss. He cupped Naruto's cheek, kissing him tenderly in between bites to Naruto's full, pouty lips. This time, it was Sasuke who pressed their foreheads together, sighing while he stroked Naruto's cheek with his thumb. Naruto's hands were at Sasuke's slim waist. He edged them down to Sasuke's hips. They seemed to be listening to the sound of their heavy breaths.

"Is it corny if I say that what I like best about this," Sasuke kissed Naruto high on his cheekbone, "That you've always been so important to me, always been my best friend."

Something clenched inside Naruto's chest, and he was surprised at how quickly tears sprung to his eyes at the youngest's earnest admission.

"...Me, too," he breathed, trying to keep his voice even. "And no, it's not corny. I mean—it is, but I like it. I like it a lot."

Sasuke placed a kiss to his chin, his cheeks, forehead, and the tip of his nose. "Yeah?"

Naruto nodded, feeling warm all over. He heaved another heavy sigh and reached for Sasuke's hand, squeezing it. "Come on. Let's get undressed, take a shower and get into bed."

"Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes searched his.

"...To wash up, Sasuke. Geez. We've got plenty of time. No need to rush just 'cause you're barely out of puberty."

"Pfft." Sasuke flicked one of Naruto's earrings. "Two years older and you act like you're a grandpa."

"Two years younger and you act like like a trainee."

"No, you didn't."

Naruto laughed, letting go of Sasuke's hand and dancing out of reach. He waggled a finger at Sasuke as he started stripping out of his clothes. Once he had his shirt off, Sasuke looked a little less offended and when he was standing in only a pair of boxers, it seemed Sasuke might not even remember his own name the way he kept gawking.

"It's nothin' you haven't seen before," Naruto told him. "You can wipe the drool away any time."

Sasuke followed after him, chasing Naruto into the bathroom. He gave Naruto's ass a slap, and Naruto laughed as he helped Sasuke out of his skinny jeans, teasing him when they got stuck mid-thigh.

"Do you buy jeans already ripped or do they just do that when you try to get your legs inside them?" Naruto asked, holding his stomach because he kept laughing so hard at their struggles.

"You're hilarious," Sasuke said. "But, yes I have been known to rip my pants on occasion."

"I know." Naruto snickered, throwing the jeans out into their room once they were off.

"Like you should talk." Sasuke's fingertips brushed the tops of Naruto's thighs. "You could crush a watermelon with those."

"Better than ripping open a coconut with my bare hands?"

"Neji and I were hungry," Sasuke defended, lifting his chin. "The staff wouldn't feed us."

"Uh huh." Naruto played with the waistband of Sasuke's black boxer briefs. "Surprised you're not tryin' to film this."

"Hm. I'd consider it if I didn't think my hands would shake the entire time."

"Can I?" Naruto waited until Sasuke nodded before he stripped off the shorts, careful not to lear. He waited for Sasuke to lift his feet before he tossed them to the side and stood up.

"I should, uh, turn on the shower so that it's warm when we get in."

"Okay." Sasuke lingered only a second before turning and stepping into the incredibly open glass shower. Naruto's eyes strayed to his bandmate's toned ass. He didn't feel like waiting, so he slipped off his shorts and joined him inside, just as the cool spray hit him in the face.

Sasuke looked surprised and then laughed when Naruto sputtered. "I told you to wait!"

"I couldn't." He pouted. "You know I'm impatient."

"I'm not a whole lot better, but I can be patient when it comes to some things."

They were careful to keep some distance between their lower bodies, neither wanting to rush things. Sasuke did link their fingers together, the spray falling between them. He brought Naruto's hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. Naruto about melted at the gesture.

"You're a lot more romantic than I ever thought you'd be," Naruto observed.

"You never gave me a chance to show you until now."

"It's only our first night, too. Tomorrow I'm gonna drag you all over Disneyland, you realize?"

"I'm aware." Sasuke kept hold of his hand, swinging it between them under the water. "Does that mean you're willing to go on some of the scarier rides?"

"Absolutely not," Naruto responded quickly. "It's gonna be teacups all night for you."

"Hn. That's fine."

Shyly, Naruto pulled Sasuke to him and, standing up on his tiptoes, pressed a firm kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Sasuke. For all this. And… for joining GCF. Just imagine if you'd gone with any of those other agencies that wanted you."

"Good thing Shikamaru had those thick thighs then, huh?" He smirked at Naruto.

Naruto smacked him hard in the bicep. "You and your thigh fetish."

"Please, his don't even compare to yours." Sasuke moved a hand to grab for a handful of Naruto's left thigh, but Naruto swatted his hand away, laughing.

As he laughed, he fell against Sasuke's side and Sasuke wrapped an arm around his waist so he didn't fall. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed this much or felt this happy.

"Come on then, let's hurry up and wash so that we can get into bed and snuggle. Fall asleep watching a movie under the covers."

"You don't want to stay until 5 a.m. on your phone playing games?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "No, All-Nighter Friend. I think you tired me out today."

"Oh? It's that easy. Just wait until we have—"

Naruto pressed his fingers to Sasuke's lips. "Don't say it."

Sasuke moved his hand away. "I was going to say our next world tour."

"I bet." Naruto smiled at him, running his fingers through his own hair as he wet his hair under the showerhead. "Now, be a good younger bandmate and help wash my hair."

"Oh, it's my obedience you want now?" Sasuke asked, though he grabbed for the bottle of shampoo. Uncapping it released the smell of vanilla and coconut into the small space.

"For now." Naruto pressed his lips together as he slapped his hands down on Sasuke's strong, muscled chest. "Maybe in other instances, too. ...Later on."

"Hn." Sasuke gave Naruto's ass cheek another slap. "Until then... I'll look forward to it."

* * *

**The end.**


	11. Epilogue 1: Best of Me

**Part XI (Epilogue): Best of Me**

_I don't wanna lie no more  
__I don't wanna hide no more  
__What I found in you is so real  
_

"Best of Me"  
JOHN.k

* * *

Naruto looked over his reply tweet to Sasuke's recent post and, smiling to himself, hit send. How many times had he watched Sasuke's video compilation of their Tokyo trip? Ten? Fifteen? Twenty times? Much to his surprise (and pleasure), Sasuke had made _him _the focus—not the scenery—of the entire video. Everything from when they were in the shared taxi to Naruto stuffing his face with food to their visit to Disneyland. Naruto _should've _thought he was filmed with the intent of making him look like an utter idiot, except that's not how it felt at all. In fact, he was startled because, for him, it felt like a big fat love confession that Sasuke had posted for the world to see. He should've been terrified, but, instead, his selfish, love-struck ass was flattered.

Of course, there were fans blowing up their social feeds with theories on why just the two of them took a solo trip, why Sasuke had chosen a gay male artist for the background song, and some were positive it was all proof that he and Sasuke were an item. Yet, for every fan who had guessed the truth, there were just as many who were fine with calling it a friendship trip.

And, they weren't wrong. Uchiha Sasuke was his best friend and, now, something more. He almost felt guilty causing yet another small "scandal" amongst their fanbase, but this is one thing he wanted to call his own, to nurture and hold dear, to not feel like he has to explain. Because this was just about he and Sasuke. Maybe GCF could suffer consequences because of their decision to move forward with a relationship (had they officially said those words yet?), but they knew how to be careful. They knew how to use their own fans as shields. After all, Sasuke had obtained permission to post the video on official channels, so it wasn't as if he'd turned into a complete rebel. Although, Naruto had seen it for the first time only after Sasuke posted—though he'd known Sasuke had locked himself inside his (closet) to edit it. He just hadn't known Sasuke was this good at editing videos. Jesus. Not that he should be surprised, as Sasuke could jump into anything and compete with seasoned professionals. When they were young, Naruto used to get so jealous that Sasuke could catch on so fast and Naruto had to work his ass off well into the late night hours to keep up with everyone.

The first time, though. The first time he watched through he'd been in shock. The second time he cried because, although Sasuke had shared how he felt about Naruto, this was like seeing himself through Sasuke's eyes. And it was—

Overwhelming?

Yeah.

Without checking the responses on his (mildly flirty) reply to Sasuke's posting, he locked his phone and set it to the side. He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, pondering this _ache _in his chest. It was amazing, really. To feel like they could be open about this to the world, but on their own terms. Honestly, he was still so surprised Sasuke had the balls to do this. God, he knew Sasuke was his own person and did what he wanted regardless of what others thought, but this was on a whole other level, and yet—it made him feel a sense of freedom and peace he hadn't felt since prior to their debut. When they could be regular people. Not that he was ungrateful for what they'd achieved over the years, how they'd grown so popular they couldn't really go out on their own anymore unless disguised in costumes (like they'd done last week for Halloween while walking around various Tokyo districts).

His heart skipped a beat when there was a light knock on his door.

"Come in," he said, knowing already that it was Sasuke.

Sasuke peeked his head in through the crack after opening the door. Naruto thought it adorable that he looked almost tentative.

"You saw?"

Naruto forced his expression to remain neutral. "I did."

Sasuke stepped inside his room, quietly closing the door behind him. He wrung his hands, and Naruto had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

"Well…" He took a step closer to Naruto's bed. "What did you think?"

"Couldn't you tell by my post?" Naruto asked, sitting up to lean against the headboard.

"Not… really." Sasuke remained where he was, a few feet from the bed. "That's why I came."

"It's a three-minute long video that features only me. Why _wouldn't _I like it?"

"Naruto," he breathed, eyes searching his, "I'm being serious."

He couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into a grin. "Of course I loved it, you ballsy bastard. God, and you even used _that _song? Have you _seen _the comments so far?"

Sasuke shrugged, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, hand searching out Naruto's. They clasped their fingers together.

"I don't care about the comments. I care what you think."

Naruto brought the back of Sasuke's hand to his lips and kissed it. "You should know what I think. If I'd known you were going to make a video like that, I might've tried to dress better and not act so goofy."

"First of all, you looked hot," Sasuke smirked, "And those are the things I love about you the most. Always have. Your stupid goofy side and how you get excited over the simplest things. Because you're my simple idiot." He brushed Naruto's bangs to the side, tucking them behind his ear.

"I'm still older than you." Naruto's eyes crinkled at the corners, his smile so big it was starting to hurt. "Show some respect."

"Of course." Sasuke bowed slightly, leaned forward, and kissed Naruto's forehead.

"Have you heard from the other members?" Naruto asked casually. "About the video?"

"They all said they liked it. Suigetsu texted me that it was gay."

"Well, he's not wrong." Naruto brushed his finger under his nose.

"Hn. Is that… okay?"

"Is what okay?" Naruto's brows knit in confusion.

"It is very gay."

"So I noticed, but… wasn't that the point? You little rebel you."

"Yeah, but I didn't exactly ask for your permission."

"Do you need to?"

Sasuke fidgeted, loosening the grip on Naruto's hand to play with a ring on his finger (a ring that they'd bought on their trip; Sasuke had a matching one currently hanging from a silver chain).

"I wanted it to be a surprise, but… I hoped you would like it."

"I do," he said, wanting to reassure the younger man. "I really do. You knew I would. You'd have to. It's really beautiful, Sasuke. I'm… flattered. I've watched it so many times. I'm gonna have to make my own, you know, so you don't outshine me. Make it with my dumb iPhone app."

"I'd like that."

Leaning in, Sasuke placed a chaste kiss to Naruto's cheek. They stared at each other, expressions swollen with open affection. So much so that Naruto began to feel giddy and shy. He knew his cheeks were flushed red as he glanced down at their hands—the ring on his finger.

"So, what do we call ourselves now?" He asked, voice low.

"Hm?"

"You know… _us_."

"I didn't think either of us was into labels," Sasuke replied, tone crushingly gentle.

"I'm not." Naruto snuggled closer, turning more on his side, so he could trace the seam running down the pant leg of Sasuke's skinny jeans. "I just…"

"Want to hear me say it?"

"Not you specifically," he murmured, raising his eyes and peering up at Sasuke from underneath his lashes. "Just… yeah."

Sasuke took their hands, palm to palm, interlocking their fingers without curling them, moving them like see-saws. He was being so cute, so affectionate. Naruto wanted to pull him down and make out with him for an hour or two, but they had schedules tomorrow. He should make Sasuke go to bed shortly.

Then, as if reading his mind, Sasuke asked if he could stay the night in his bed.

Like Naruto could refuse him anything. He nodded.

"I need to shower first. Assuming Neji's out of the shower by now." Sasuke let go of his hand and got off of the bed, standing nearby. He bent down, mouth close to Naruto's ear. "Can I get my boyfriend anything while I'm out there?"

Naruto, nose scrunching, felt the tips of his ears grow hot. "Uhh…"

"Uzumaki Naruto of GCF speechless?" Sasuke teased, nibbling at the shell of his ear before giving it a harsh suck. "Who knew I'd ever obtain such a power?"

"Tch." Regaining his senses, Naruto gave him a push. "Don't get cocky. I've seen how you look begging on your knees, Uchiha Sasuke."

It was Sasuke's turn to go from pale to bright red with embarrassment, dark eyes going wide in surprise at first only to narrow. Eventually, he smirked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said. "...I trust you."

Naruto blinked at him, made speechless once again.

"God, I love you," he blurted.

Sasuke stared, multiple emotions flickering across his face before his mouth contorted into a simple grin. "Yeah?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah."

"I love you, too." Sasuke ran his hand through his hair. He let out a nervous laugh, glancing away for a second and then returning his gaze to Naruto. "I'm, uh, gonna go."

"Okay. Don't be long? None of that fifty-minute shower business."

"Unless you're going to get me on my knees afterward, I'm going to _need _one of those fifty-minute showers."

Naruto scoffed, laughing into his hand. "Just hurry up, will you? Water's a precious resource."

"Stingy." Sasuke began to turn toward the door, stopped, and decided to step closer to the bed again.

Naruto looked up at him, admiring the younger man's handsome features. Feeling so happy that he thought he might combust. Sasuke returned his smile and then, grasping hold of Naruto's chin, planted a chaste, tender kiss to his lips.

Upon parting, Naruto traced the spot with his tongue, eyelids drooping.

"I'll be back soon. Don't let anyone else warm my side of the bed, huh?"

Naruto blinked at him several times, head cocked to the side. "As if."

Sasuke gave him a brief wave before turning his back and leaving the bedroom. He closed the door quietly behind him, leaving Naruto to these nauseatingly fluffy feelings.

"God, you have it so bad, Naruto," he told himself, touching the pads of his middle and index finger to his lips.

Even though it felt as if he and Sasuke—their relationship—was at the peak of something extraordinary, there was also this fear. Not a fear of getting caught (though they should be careful and responsible), but just that it was possible to feel _this much_ for another person. He'd always loved Sasuke, as a member and as someone who was like a younger brother.

As a man, Sasuke was—

Were there words for how much he felt for Sasuke? The word love seemed so trite. Sasuke was right, too. Labels couldn't possibly encapsulate what they were to each other.

Their bond, what they had together, was more of a feeling, an invisible link. A red string?

Maybe those things sounded cliche, but there weren't a whole lot of words in the Japanese language to describe this sensation constantly thrumming through his body.

Could they really hide this from the world? From staff?

All he knew was—they had to. For the sake of the group. He felt so thankful the other members had accepted their relationship, supported them, and would help protect them.

Just like they'd always done since they debuted as GCF.

Naruto never could've imagined his path would lead not just to his dream of becoming a famous music artist, but to finding someone who complemented and completed him. A best friend, romantic soulmate, someone who understood him on a level no one else ever would.

The members always joked about Naruto being so unlucky, but to be honest… Naruto thought himself the fucking luckiest man in the world these days.

* * *

**a/n:** happy birthday, Taehyung! maybe i was inspired by jk dropping a new gcf on us. thanks for reading!


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